Price of Freedom
by Fireball Massacre
Summary: AU. Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." FemGaaxNaru non-canon
1. Prologue

**(I do not own anything, but the plot.** **)**

 **Summary** **: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Prologue**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

Learn to fly.

How exactly was that done?

I can't, I've tried to leave. To run. But they always find me. What do I do? I can't go back, not to that hell. No, not even over my dead body. I can't- no I will not- go back to that Hospital.

. . .

I awoke to screaming, my own screaming. How long has it been since I spoke? I didn't remember, all I remember is the screaming. The pain, the flashes of masked people, red everywhere. I wonder when it ever ended.

I was in that dang Hospital, again! I don't understand how they keep finding me. I'm good. I don't hurt anyone. Yet, they call me monster. Maybe I am, that's what is expected of me. Should I show them it. Should I give back what they dished out to begin with, payback? I really want to, and my gut is telling me so.

No, it is. That's what it wants to do. It wants to escape. I must not let it. I cannot... why though...?

* * *

All I could do was venture forward, glimpsing nothing. sensing nothing. Have you ever felt something like that? Well, that's what I felt in this instance. My only thoughts were that I must keep going. I needed to run, to escape, to do anything to flee from the clawing in my chest.

My eyes were open, at least I thought they were, but all my brain registered was darkness. Continuing, I rushed forward, something splashing against my bare feet with each step. _Don't look_ , I coaxed myself. To make sure I didn't look, I clenched my eyes closed.

The feeling in my chest grew, threatening to explode. I knew for certain that if it escaped, it would be the worst thing imaginable. It would be the end, that's the gist of it. Claws ripped through my chest, feeling as if it was tearing itself free, increasing in force.

My instinct was to run- which I did- but you can't run from something within you. I could practically sense the upending doom.

Still I ran forward, and I tripped over an item left discarded on the ground. Falling in to the mixture that was around my feet the whole time, my eyes snapped open, and I regretted doing so.

I was basically nose-to-nose with what used to be a human. Its eyes were wide and without any life in them (they were dull), its mouth was snapped open at an impossible angle with its jaw partially torn off. Five long slashes seemed to be the reason for the hanging jaw.

I didn't want to look, but my eyes refused to unlock their gaze. I wanted to see a glimmer of hope, that maybe my fragmented brain was messing up my perception again, and the person was just resting.

I leaped up to my feet when I felt the presence within me sparked alive again. My head whipped from side to side, allowing my eyes to survey the disaster around me for the first time. Bodies were sprawled everywhere, some half a body, some without heads, some with only a head, some missing limbs, some with twisted necks, and multiple with gaping holes in their chests.

I brought my hands to my fave, touching the wetness upon my cheeks.

 _No, no, NO!_

It was already released. My body shook on its own accord; I couldn't stop it, neither did I try. My brain barely registered the sound of fast approaching footsteps. My eyes took in the scene another time: all the corpses littered everywhere, the mixture of water and blood underfoot, nothing else was in the dark alley but that.

"Monster," a deep voice hissed behind me. I turned and stared at the towering figures, my body shaking more. In towering, I meant that they were taller than me, since they were all way beyond my age. I stared at their masked faces in horror as they advanced on me with that hated nickname "monster."

"Pl-please, don't," my hoarse whisper came out. They couldn't, they couldn't do that again, But they would. They always got away with it. A scream erupted from my throat as something came at me. Just in time, I slipped under the object and around the masked people. I definitely not fast enough to outrun them, but there was nothing else I could do.

I ran. I ran as fast as my little body would allow me to.

Behind me I heard the voice yell, "Get the demon! He has done this for the last time." Various shouts of agreement echoed through the alley, causing me to run even faster (probably from adrenaline) and fall directly on my face. A groan escaped from my lips as I cautiously sat up. A sharp hit to my side sent me spiraling into the wall of a nearby building along the alleyway.

"We never should have put up with you for all these years," someone snarled over my head. I felt coldness when something pressed into the back of my neck. Instantly, pain shot from the pressure someone put on it.

It hurt bad, but it was just like all the other times. Always pain, then relief, but this time was different. There would be no relief this time; they were going to go all the way. I screamed out. I didn't want to die! "St-stop it-it, you don't know what you're doing!" My body felt numb, which was new.

One person said. "Yes we do."

"We're going to destroy you for good, demon." Another one growled at me.

The voices mixed together until I couldn't pinpoint who said what. The voices melded together as a high-pitched ringing started in my ears. An item darted in my direction. Moonlight flashed off it, resulting in me closing my eyes and the anticipation of pain.

However, I never felt it. I felt coldness drag across my arm, nothing else. When I opened my eyes, I saw the moonlight flash off the blade as the wielder swung her sword with all her might. It struck me, and immediately snapped in two. The wielder blinked behind her mask, and out of anger, she grabbed my short hair and stabbed a small object that resembled a star- shuriken, was it?- in my stomach as I dangled in the air.

A voice rang reached my ears out of the swarm of many others. "Nobody's going to feel bad when you're gone, monster, in fact they'll be rejoicing. The village won't look back on you." The voice told me.

"Th-that's not true," unfortunately, my voice broke, my vision blurry. Of course they were right. I had no family, no one to go back to. I found myself shoved up against the wall, my toes at feet above the ground. Then, they had the audacity to laugh right in my face, shouting out many insults. I blocked them out the best I could. To try to drown out their voices, I closed my eyelids and yelled in my head: _no, no, no, no,_ over and over again.

However, one familiar yet unique voice found its way through. It was unfathomable as how I knew it, but didn't at the same time. "Let it go," the voice purred. I froze, when did anyone sound that way toward me? "They'll never respect you-"

A laugh escaped my lips. It wasn't a laugh of happiness or enjoyment, but a mix of nervousness and fear. _Who are you?_ I tried to ask whoever was talking, but my mouth wouldn't form the words.

Still the voice, smooth as silk, replied. "You know exactly who I am."

Realization hit me hard. The beast was real, so terribly real, and it was talking to me, coaxing me to do its bidding. I was not falling for its tricks. It would escape and murder everyone, I absolutely knew it! Suddenly, I felt blistering cold everywhere, and I hugged my knees, refusing to open my eyes. I will not fall for it. That was going great until curiosity got the best of me.

When my eyes adjusted to the place I was in, I found myself in a place that had a high ceiling that dripped every once in a while along with water underneath me. I stood and stumbled forward. For once, I felt no pain at all, and I couldn't suppress the smile that rose to my feet. My smile instantly disappeared when I gazed upon the looming cage before me.

A glimpse of red-orange fur made me step closer to observe the creature inside. "Hi, I'm Naruto," I greeted the animal with my usual smile.

"Ah," a noise rumbled from within the cage as eyes sparkled in the cage.

"You're the fox, aren't you?" I questioned my smile disappearing. I did not understand what I was supposed to be feeling. I felt angry, scared, and strangely excited.

The creature made a tsk sound, eyes closing in a slow blink. "Do you want to die?" It wasn't a threat; it was some type of warning, as if I returned to the real world, (if I returned), I wouldn't make it. I shook my head. "Release me," it ordered me.

I looked at the door, noticing the piece of paper in the middle of it. As my hand reached for it, the eyes within the cage grew what only I can describe as was hungry. I paused; its eyes narrowed in on my face. "What's in it for you?" I asked it.

That seemed to anger the beast slightly. "Freedom," it snarled at me. "Let me out." It seemed to be losing its patience.

I tilted my head to the side. "Let's make a deal." I announced.

The fox's eye twitched ever-so-slightly. It paused, deep in thought. "Depending on the conditions."

"How about I let you out?"

"Hm?" Its eyes closed and reopened a moment after. It was waiting for me to continue.

I glanced down to my toes, watching them curl underneath my feet and into the water below them. "No one should live in this." I gave a gesture to our surroundings. "I've heard something about can take you out of here, but not all the time. Your home would still be here, but... you'll have," I had to think of the word. "Freedom."

The fox showed its teeth in a smirk. "Is there a catch?"

"Nuh," I shook my head. "I just wanna be trained."

"You're forgetting one crucial detail. When the jutsu is finished, I die if you do."

I blinked slightly. "Ooohh... I guess I can't fail then." I flashed the biggest grin I good muster, sticking up my thumb. "I promise!"


	2. Chapter 1

**(I do not own anything, but the plot. The main pairing seems to be decided from the review; you still can suggest them though. Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and review. I appreciate it.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 1**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I sat sideways on the swing in the shade, head against the rope that allowed the swing to hang from the tree. It was finally happening. Today. I could finally graduate from Konohagakure's Academy. I've been anticipating this day for so long. I could become a ninja. All I needed to do was pass the final exams. A written exam and a practical exam, not hard at all, but it was mandatory to get my Leaf headband.

It was easy as pie, actually.

I wasn't perturbed in the slightest. I could pass it blindfolded. In fact, I could be top in my class if I wanted to. Especially, when the first test they administered to us, I found it beyond simple. I knew everything for every question. What did you expect, that I didn't know anything when training for around six years, both physically and _mentally_?

Anyway, I wrote down the correct answers, but instead of getting an "A," I received a "F." Seriously, a F? Someone was definitely desired me to fail. So I did. Thenceforth, I made it my goal to write down completely wrong answers. I purposely found out the correct answers and completely flipped them around for a horrible response.

It was... fun. It challenged me, just like other students were challenged with figuring out the real solution to the problem.

Then I remembered and couldn't help but frown. I was supposed to fail, not just because all the villagers expected me to, but because Kyuubi (the fox creature) thought it was best. It would draw attention. _We_ didn't need it. I sighed as my eyes slid toward the big building. It was now or never. I stood up, brushed off my palms on my pants.

 _Ready to fail_ , I laughed bitterly. _Screw up Naruto of Leaf, here I go!_

I slipped inside the door, and at once I felt all eyes go to me. I was late, I knew that, but they didn't need to stare so much. I took my place in the long line. The  
Uchiha kid was up at that point, and I watched him. He did what he was told, and by the others' reactions, he did it perfectly. I almost snorted. He thought he was all that, when he absolutely wasn't.

"Naruto," I heard my name, and I reluctantly stepped forward. Behind me, there was snickering and, what ticked me off slightly, was the comments, such as: "watch him fail," "why don't they hold him back again; he's not going to make it," and "he never had a chance." I clenched my hands together, grinding my teeth some. When I performed the hand sign, I fluently did so.

I immediately forgot to struggle through it, but I didn't really care. With a puff of smoke, I was transformed perfectly to match Iruka, down to his precise line on his face. It was flawless; I could tell because everyone was silent. A smirk tugged at my lips as I jumped backward into the line of people. Almost everyone took a step back, but I wasn't going for them.

I landed on the raven-haired kid's shoulders from earlier, head bent downward to see his reaction, which had his dark eyes narrowed at me. He stumbled from my sudden weight, and I instantly flipped back to the front of the room, still seen by everyone as Iruka. I brought my hands up and finally returned to myself again. I grinned at Iruka's shock.

He seemed so dumbfounded, either at me or at seeing "himself" behave like that. He didn't attempt to yell at me as I walked out. I wasn't supposed to do that, _crrraaappp_.

. . . .

I finished the clone jutsu that Iruka decided the last exam was on. I made sure I had less than perfect this time, not enough to fail, I hoped. I presently sat a top a building, ramen in one hand while the other held the chopsticks. I ate slowly, savoring it until I noticed someone coming up behind me.

"Hello Naruto, may I sit with you?" A voice asked behind me.

I nodded and grinned at the person. It was Mizuki, the one that was with Iruka to help administrate the last part of the test. "Of course you can~" I sounded terribly cheerful, but I decided I should keep it up.

He sat next to me, feet sliding soundlessly over the edge for a more comfortable position. He frowned in my direction, but I was observant enough to realize it didn't match his eyes. "Naruto, I don't think you can pass with those scores." He said.

I faked a gasp. "Wh-what, I can't?!"

A small laugh rose from Mizuki's throat. "I know this is your first time with this, and Iruka's pretty tough, but I know you can do it."

I blinked. It was a false reaction again. "Huh?"

He told me how to accomplish in getting my headband, ( _confidential information, I recognized, that was less than truthful_ ). To wrap up what he sad was that there was a scroll that could assist me.

I swirled around my chopsticks. He should not know about the sacred scroll, or want it for that matter. "Ah, so it could help me pass..?" I glanced over at him. "Why can't you get it for me? You're more experienced, and it shouldn't be a problem with it being allowed for everyone to use."

That took Mizuki by surprise. Like everyone else, he thought I was an idiot. "It's just that," he paused.

"Just what?" I questioned innocently. My chopstick caught a noodle, and I brought it up to my lips. After I swallowed, I added, "Perhaps what you want me to do is illegal? That's why you don't want to do it. You want to me to get blamed for it, instead of you." I retrieved another noodle from my bowl. I sensed, rather than felt, something come toward my head.

My arm swung out automatically, seizing Mizuki's wrist. My eyes went to his. He was surprised again. "You're not helping your case," I muttered. His other hand came at me, and this time, I twisted his wrist and threw him to the ground. I jumped down the twenty or so feet and landed gracefully on my feet. I set down my ramen and approached him.

Mizuki rose to his feet and attacked me. I dodged one punch after another, arms crossed and a yawn escaping my mouth. I didn't mean to let it slip, but it just found itself out. At my feet, I saw my bowl and picked it up. I dodged another of Mizuki's attacks just as easily as before, so allowed myself a small bite. Just when the chopsticks almost reached my mouth, the bowl suddenly lurched sideways, spilling noodles everywhere.

I could feel my eyes narrowing, chopsticks still in their original position. "You... spilt. my ramen..."

I felt something within me spark to life. He just wasted that ramen; the only thing that hasn't changed for me, _ever_. And he ruined it! I felt the usual sensation that always occurred when my eyes flashed their red color with black slits for pupils. It was as if something was pooling directly behind my eyes and gathering there, causing a slight pain behind them as a result.

I grabbed him by the arm and twisted it back behind him, all the while slamming him onto the ground. He, for some odd reason, wheezed. His face was next to the knocked over noodles. "Kiss and make up," I growled.

Immediately, I blinked my eyes, realizing what I've just done. Right after that, I released him and backed up. Images surfaced: blood, bodies sprawled across the ground, dead eyes. I gasped and nearly toppled backward. I gulped harshly, trying to will it to disappear.

I noticed a chakra signature coming close. It was Iruka's. My eyes weren't burning, so I knew my eyes were their normal blue, but when Iruka reached the clearing, I knew what he saw. A frightened little kid with a full-grown ninja, who was most likely up on his feet by now, towering over him. Slowly, the images finally disappeared just as Mizuki glared at me.

"You may be able to dodge, but he can't," he whipped his hand in Iruka's general direction. Three shurikens exploded out of his hand and straight at Iruka.

"Sensei!" I leaped in front of him, going as fast as I could, which was extremely quick. I could have made it unscathed and could have prevented Iruka from suffering an injury, but I decided to just take the hit. I had my arm up, and the shurikens dug deep in my forearm.

Iruka darted past me. "Stay back, Naruto." He lunged at Mizuki, who sent a punch his way, which he, fortunately, ducked out of the way.

I watched for a split second until I saw Mizuki pull out a huge weapon; he kicked Iruka down. I made a quick decision and tackled him to the ground. We both collided with the ground, me landing on my one forearm (just my luck too), he landing on his head. Immediately, Iruka pinned his arms to his back with one hand, the other at the base of his neck.

"Are you alright," he asked me, and I almost experienced happiness that he actually seemed genuinely worried. I went to nod, but Mizuki interrupted.

"Why do you care about the monster?"

 _Monster_ , my voice echoed in my head.

Mizuki laughed. "It's not like you truly care."

I froze, turning my eyes to Iruka. He wasn't denying it! He-he- I breathed out once, twice. "It doesn't matter what you think, Mizuki. At least I wasn't the foolish one to want the sacred scroll."

"He's lying. Iruka, he was the one-"

"I believe you..." Iruka said. For a second, I thought he was going to turn on me, but he gave me a tiny smile instead. "Naruto."

. . . .

 **(Tell me what you think, guys. Hope you enjoyed it.)**


	3. Chapter 2

**(I do not own anything, but the plot. Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I appreciate it. Also, do you guys have any ideas that you would want for the story? If so, just tell me.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 2**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I ran along the streets, out of town, and to where I was supposed to meet my team, which I had been on for a few weeks now. My shoes were held in my hands, as I darted faster as I saw them. My "sensei" was already there. That was not good. He never arrived before _anyone_. I stumbled when I stopped in front of them.

"Naruto," my "sensei" stated. "You're late."

I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah, I was helping this old lady with her cat. It got caught in that hole again." I was referring to Kakashi's recent excuses for being late. He always made elaborate stories.

Kakashi raised a brow at me, but said nothing. His eyes went to his strange orange book, ignoring me, which was just fine with me. I was used to it, at least.

"Well, what are we doing today?" I asked loudly, which I despised in doing, but it was part of the charade. We, Kyuubi and I, decided to create someone unlike me to hide anything that would look suspicious. I constantly had to act like the loud knuckle-headed ninja of Konoha, yada, yada. If I mysteriously acted different, people would go bat crazy.

They'd suspect the worse, probably with Kyuubi and I. They wouldn't be wrong, but we both did _not_ need that unwanted attention. So I had to keep it up.

My other teammate, the so-called _prodigy_ , made a noise at me and uttered. "Shut up dobe." His dark eyes flickered to my shoes still in my hand and then to my feet. "And have some decency."

I glared at him, not the one glare I save for Kyuubi though. "Hey bastard, I'm perfectly fine!" Truth is, I really don't care to refer to him as "bastard" or "teme," but that, once again is part of the act. In fact, I address people by their last names (at least in my head), unless they were my teacher that I respected greatly, (Iruka), or Kakashi, who I couldn't decide on what to call him.

I was supposed to call him sensei, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. I created a resolution to not call him Hatake, so right now, he's Kakashi.

The young Uchiha stated. "I can't see how you could describe yourself as 'fine.'" He had his arms crossed, lifting one hand to examine it.

I yelled at him. "Whatcha say?!" I got in his face, disgusted at me reaction. The other "me" was very annoying. Dang.

Uchiha glared at me, viciously. He expected a fight, and everyone else seemed to because Kakashi glanced up slightly from his book, while my female teammate, I refered to as Haruno, tensed by Uchiha's side, practically gripping his elbow. Want to know something I didn't really get, in a team, there is _always_ the top shinobi, the top kunoichi, and the dead last, but I have no idea what I am classified as.

I know Haruno was the kunoichi, but was the Uchiha the top shinobi? I did well on the tests, enough to pass, but I was amazing in that one exercise. The possible reason for me being dead last was most likely never showing any other skills other than on the test. Everyone suspected I cheated or studied the material it was on, which was impossible because it was randomly decided.

Mortals are really idiotic sometimes. I inwardly groaned, _mortals?_ I was spending too much time with that horrid fox. It didn't help that he was absolutely ticked that I disobeyed him and passed. He had me training all day no matter the weather, and he's actually still doing so, hence why I feel so tired lately. I train with Team 7 (Team Kakashi, whatever you prefer), and then have to train directly after.

Then, don't get me started on the nightmares... Annyyyways...

Presently, I stepped back from the other boy and bit my lip. I wasn't into playing today. It could be possible that I was too tired to even try anymore or I was starting to not care enough to. I just sat down on the ground quietly to put on my shoes, noticing them bleeding. Everyone would suspect that occurred when I was running barefoot. However, it was late night's training.

I slipped on my shoes with a small sigh. As I stood up, I met with three gazes. I looked at them blankly, then chuckled. "What? Did I forget to brush my teeth or something." Back to my role playing huh. That seemed to please them enough to stop looking at me and to actually get Kakashi moving. "What's in it for us today? Try to get the bells again? OH! I know ramen; I'm starving!"

Haruno just shook her head. "You're always hungry." She sounded irritable; she actually is. She'll punch you for doing something small, like tripping over her foot when she didn't move it.

I smiled at her. "Yup!" I pretended to like her just because it was "normal" to have a crush on someone, but I didn't know why it had to be _her_. She was deeply infuriating, and definitely in the bad way.

She smiled up at Uchiha, not before she glared in my direction. I fell behind them walking slow, barely suppressing a yawn. My feet stung slightly, but I wasn't extremely worried about it. I wish I could strip out of the blinding orange colors and into something better, though. Orange, if you haven't noticed, sticks out like a sore thumb. I thought the key was to hide in plain sight, but okay, whatever.

A flashback suddenly sprang to mind. It was me running after I painted the Hokages' faces. That was one of my last pranks. Kyuubi insisted I stop screwing around with unnecessary and unwanted practices such as that. I had to abide by his rules; I've been listening to him since that one strange night when I was young. In retrospect it probably wasn't the wisest choice.

At least I can decide when he can come out, usually. Certainly, he was purposely causing me to tire out so he can leave his prison, but I wasn't going to let it happen. That's for sure.

I caught up with the others, pushing past them and laughing at their angered expressions. I put up my disguise (as the bubbly ninja). I started to walk backward with my face toward them. "What are we doing?" I asked persistently. I was getting tired of my constant persona. "I heard we're getting another person. Is that true?" I asked innocently. I didn't specifically heard it. I kind of saw the person and suspected something. "Is he gunna replace one of us?"

Kakashi glanced up from his book, face unreadable.

Uchiha narrowed his eyes at me. "We can only hope."

I blinked. Typically, I could brush off anything they thrown at me, but this broke through. I scowled at him. Before I could retort, however, Kakashi stated.

"We're here." He said, carefully closing his book and placing it in his pocket.

I sighed. It was some place in the woods. I'm pretty sure it was where we always camped for a D-mission. We most likely had to get groceries for this elderly person or clean something for someone. We soon found out that we had to do both. Haruno and Uchiha had to get the groceries, since my persona always forgot something, lucky them. I had to clean off their roof and whatever was on the side of the house.

And Kakashi would just sit there and read. Like usual.

I finished the roof and knelt to my knee to survey the damage of whatever that black stuff was on the side of the house. I poked at it gently. It was oddly slimy and damp. I had to get it done. As quick and efficiently as I could, I cleaned the entire house. It was a terrible chore, but doable. Just as I finished, the other two returned. _What took them so long? They were gone for the whole day._

I forced myself to glare and say. "Took your time didn't you!" I shouted at the two figures.

They both pretty much glared back. Strange, no one said anything as we walked to our camp site. Of course I classified the site ours, we were always there. I excessively yawned and with a whine, I pleaded. "Can we sleep yet?" I instantly hated myself for even pretending. It didn't feel any more right than it had been when I first started to fake everything.

Kakashi lit a fire. "What no food?" His voice was teasing, that was new.

I grinned, some of it real. "I want it."

"Oh, do you?"

"You better believe it Ka-! Okay, serve it up." I almost called him plain Kakashi; I wasn't sure if I was "allowed" to do so. Before you know it, I'll be calling the others Uchiha and Haruno. That wouldn't be pretty with the villagers.

Kakashi handed me the ramen, and I scarfed it down. I'd rather take my time, but I had to- no needed to- keep up the faking. The other Naruto always ate loudly and messily, no matter where or when. After everyone finished their food, it was pitch black. The only light was from the small fire that was still burning faintly. I watched the flames lick up the sky, and I found my hand touching my cheek.

I don't know why, but I felt alone. Even when people where near me, I couldn't get close to them. It was impossible, forbidden practically. It was easier to not get to involved. Despite me knowing I wasn't truly ever alone, I couldn't help feel like it. I had Kyuubi; he was always there. I glanced down at my chest, remembrance of the tug I received when I was much younger came to me.

At that time, I thought it was just him trying to get out, but it was something deeper than that. I laid down on my side, back to everyone else. I didn't want to be here. Closing my eyes, I tried to sleep, turning to lay on my back. I slowly fell asleep, hoping the nightmares would abandon my torture for the night, at least one.

. . . .

I woke up in a cold sweat, body shaking wildly. No, no, it's only a nightmare; it's not real. I nodded my reassurance. Something tugged where my heart was. It was Kyuubi. I knew the drill: leave the others, go far away, and train until he allowed me to stop when I accomplished all he wanted. I yawned silently, and I left the campsite. I walked for a while until I felt my chest explode.

I knew Kyuubi was out. Turning to him, if you could call it him, I stated. "What today huh? Something a complete waste of time I bet." I knew I was being difficult, but it was too bad. I was exhausted both mentally and physically. I stared at him, which was a human like figure of the fox.

It was completely made out of his chakra with no eyes just darkened red chakra indentations for eyes. I was used to him so I wasn't phased, but anyone seeing him would run for the hills, especially when they realized _what_ he was.

His smooth voice said. "Do you wish to not continue then... Perhaps-"

I sighed loudly. "No, just let's do whatever it is you have planned." For once, he didn't push me too far, which was generous. He doesn't do something generous without having a plan for payback. I worried that the next time would be so much worse- almost like the first session. I closed my eyes, waiting for his attack. One of our previous training had me with a blindfold over my eyes.

It was to make sure I couldn't see Kyuubi, so I would have to sense it, but that seemed like forever ago. Maybe because it was forever ago, at least when I was six or so. I exhaled softly, ears sharp. I heard his rustle, ducked underneath his hand and swirled around behind him. Momentarily, however, I couldn't sense him until he was nearly kicking my head.

I deflected most of the blow with my hand, shoving away his leg. I rushed to where I thought he was. I almost got close enough to do some damage, but me, being clumsy, tripped on air. I stumbled and caught myself. I was clumsy, that was my only downfall. Even before I could react, something struck my chest, and I flew backwards. I was really close it seemed.

I struggled to stand, but reached my feet as something rustled to the right of me. I instantly grabbed hold of his wrist, threw him over my shoulder, and held him on the ground while setting my knee down on what I suspected as his chest. _I beat him! Hah!_ I paused. _But why was that so easy?_ I opened my eyes and blinked. It wasn't Kyuubi. It was the Uchiha. I released him and took a step back. Then, I realized that it was day time already.

I-I, oh man, how was I going to explain this, with logic? Screw logic this time. I grinned. "Sorry bastard, didn't think you'd go down hard. Guess the bigger they are the harder they fall applies to you too." There was no reason for me to nag him on, but I stuck out my tongue childishly. I shouldn't push him, yet I couldn't resist it. "Except, it's the higher they think they are, the easier it is to make them crash."

I haven't seen the Uchiha as pissed as he was now ( _ever!_ ). He growled as he stood up. "Who the hell do you think you are? You know you aren't anything special."

I shrugged, hearing Haruno's frantic yelling. I thought it was for pissy here, but it was for both of us. What a surprise. "Perhaps Uchiha, I have much more knowledge than I let on." I walked ahead of him, up the hill and toward the banshee. The last thing I saw from his face was utter bewilderment, and I started up the slope with a smirk edging itself onto my face. I didn't regret saying it.

In fact, I felt exhilarated. I've broken so many "rules" lately.


	4. Chapter 3

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Thanks for reading!)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 3**

 ***Sasuke POV***

 **. . .**

I couldn't help but scowl at Naruto the whole way. Every once in a while I'd catch him in my gaze, and he'd just smirk at me. For your information, Naruto doesn't _smirk_. He grins or smiles. What the heck was wrong with him? He was the idiot; he was... I glared at him again, crossing my arms over my chest to prevent myself from punching his head in.

He couldn't have been that good, and who leaves in the middle of the night to train anyway. _Maybe he was trying to get better._ That almost made me laugh. He could never be "great," but my heart wasn't in it. I was angry, still. I didn't get it! Naruto wasn't... Naruto like. Last night he was switching sides and mumbling in his sleep, quite loudly actually.

He was practically yelling at someone (or something) to stop. Next thing I knew, Naruto was gone. I went to find the idiot because knowing Naruto he was probably stuck somewhere. When I found him, he threw me to my back, lterally. Then, he had the balls to say that one comment. I did all that walking around for that?!

That greatly pissed me off. He wasn't anything special, just a kid, a kid that the villagers seemed to hate. Someone who seemed unwanted. I paused in my walking momentarily. Naruto kept on walking, yapping Kakashi's ear off. The only one that noticed me falling behind was Sakura.

She stopped and turned to me with a worried expression. "Are you alright?" She reached for me.

Sometimes she could be too overbearing, so I side-stepped her so she wouldn't touch me. "I'm fine." I stated as I slipped past her. "Just go." I followed after the others, and I heard her follow me. If anyone looked at Sakura and I, they'd think we'd end up together. No, that could never happen. She was definitely not in love with me like that. My feelings were the same toward her. _Neutral,_ that's it.

Everyone thought she was so intrigued by me, like almost every other girl in Konoha, and I was purposely pushing her away. Fact was that neither was true. Sakura was just protective, and I was not going to allow myself to be involved with anyone, including friends. I pretended to be so obsessed with my revenge when I just didn't want to get hurt again, so I blocked everyone out.

Somehow, Sakura broke through my barrier, at least enough for me to become friends with her, which I would never admit out loud. For some reason, Naruto hasn't broke up _her_ barrier. She's caring like a mother hen, but she can be tough. The sad thing is that he tries so hard, yet no results. He'd give her small gifts, but nothing significant. He was pretty clueless with stuff like that (it seemed).

I watched as everyone parted ways, leaving me alone in the street. I didn't really know what to do exactly, so I decided to go to Ramen Ichiraku. It wasn't the best place, but it didn't matter. I sat down and got some ramen, staring at the limp noodles. I never understood why people loved this so much. Naruto absolutely adores it. I sighed softly, raising up the ramen between my two chopsticks.

I ate some until the reason for my anger appeared. "Hey, Sasuke," chuckled Naruto. "You gunna eat that?!" He was his normal loud obnoxious self, sort of.

I slapped his hand away. "Yes." My response was short and to the point. Usually Naruto would pout and try again to snatch it, but this time he shrugged at me.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Sooo, about earlier, I thought you were someone else. I just was paranoid- I mean, I thought someone was following me." He rubbed the back of his neck, nervous. It was obviously a lie. He could have mistaken me for someone, but who else would there be? He hesitated before asking me, "You wanna train or something?"

I stared at him blankly. I didn't respond as I ate more. I didn't want to train with the likes of him, yet I wanted to find out his problem. I remembered how I found Naruto's scores in the garbage. Some were perfect, while others were terrible. You couldn't just range like that. Then, for the last exam, when we had to transform into Iruka, he even managed to execute it.

He wasn't good; he had it perfect. No one had managed that, not even me. When we made it into the teams, I was actually surprised to see Naruto with us. Maybe, since Kakashi was said to be good, Naruto was put in his team for a reason. Naruto showed absolutely no progress in training after the first day, almost as if he knew nothing. Sometimes he'd make it look like he needed to go back to the Academy, other (seldom) times demonstrated average skill.

Naruto grinned suddenly as he lunged across the table and grabbed hold of my bowl. He yanked it out of my hand, causing me to growl like my stomach did. "Naruto," I warned, rising from my seat.

He stuck out his tongue at me. "Come and get it, if you can!" He darted off.

Immediately I knew where he was headed, the training grounds. I walked, well more of stomped, my way there. Naruto was sitting there, waiting for me, ramen untouched. That pointed out something wrong. He was sitting on a low branch with the bowl right next to his right leg. "Naruto, I swear, if you don't give that to me now, I'll kick your ass." I growled. I was starving and not in the mood.

Naruto hung upside down from the tree with his legs for support. "Come on, lighten up." He himself didn't sound that cheerful at that precise moment. He sighed, blue eyes staring at the ground. "How am I ever going to beat anyone without any training huh?" He grinned at me. "I know you want to beat me up, c'mon!" He jumped down and ran up to me. "Let's go." He faked a punch over my head.

I didn't even flinch. "No." I pushed him out of the way and got my ramen from the tree, putting some in my mouth. I watched Naruto plop to the ground, mumbling to himself. After I finished my food, if you could call it that, I sighed. "Quit your mumbling. Go ask Kakashi." I left him sitting on the ground, but I soon realized he was following me. _Why won't he leave?_

He never stuck this close to me, which he probably had a reason to do so now. It most likely was from this morning. I glared at him again. I was getting exhausted with putting up with him. "Will you go bother someone else? You never shut up, you're always in the way, now leave." I snapped at him; he blinked at me.

Typically, he'd do the same back to me, as in shouting, or laugh it off, but instead he stared at me. Slowly he crossed his arms after what seemed to be him thinking. "I would love to. Have anyone in mind, or wait, you only think about yourself." He didn't seem annoyed for an odd reason; he seemed to suspect me to criticizing him.

I scowled. "Leave," I ordered him.

"Nah."

I clenched my fists. "Go away. I don't want you near."

"Isn't that your problem?" He asked innocently, but something was wrong. It was like earlier. Naruto was different than usual, almost as if he knew. I was silent. I didn't know how to respond to that. The obvious answer was to tell him to shut up and drop the subject, but I wasn't giving him any satisfaction in solving the main thing I did not want people to discover, at all.

I turned away. "Alright, you wanna train, huh?" I smirked. I automatically had a great idea. I saw him raise a brow at me, disbelieving. I smirked more. "Well?"

He went to retort, seeming to be backing out. He wasn't going out that easy. However, I heard a voice behind me. "Sorry Sasuke, but I promised to train Naruto today."

I turned to see Kakashi. _No, this isn't fair_. He never shown interest in anyone, especially _Naruto_. _Now he mysteriously starts when I created a flawless plan._ That was more than a coincidence.

I glared, and walked off. Of course, Kakashi had to get in the way. I need to find a way to figure out Naruto's weird actions lately. There must be something. No one ever changes that much in a day. I decided that I would find out soon, no matter what.

. . . .

It was bothering me because I had no idea. I couldn't take it. Not knowing, plainly...- to sum it all up in one word- _sucked_. Have you ever found something you couldn't piece together, no matter what? As if your brain was shut off, blank, or it refused to acknowledge that all you ever knew about this one thing could be fake. It was infuriating to not know something!

I shouldn't even care, yet I wanted to find out. I wanted to know something that no one else knew, shove it in their face. They'd be utterly speechless that the idiot was different. I didn't know, nor did I care, what happened to that kid. I just wanted to see his or anyone else's reaction to the surprising news.

I did not know what I'd find, but I was definitely going to expose exactly whatever _it_ was.


	5. Chapter 4

**(I do not own anything, but the plot. I appreciate people actually reading this story.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 4**

 ***Kakashi POV***

 **. . .**

It was quite strange to see the interaction between both Sasuke and Naruto. For some reason, they, or at least Sasuke, seemed more exasperated than usual. I was slightly curious as to what happened between the two. During the trip back to Konoha, I noticed Sasuke's constant scowl toward Naruto. Don't get me wrong they always fight, but this was different.

As everyone went their opposite ways, I directed myself toward my apartment. I didn't really want to be bothered by their constant chatter; I already had enough of that from Naruto on the way back. When I arrived, I immediately laid down on my bed to read. It was silent, no noise at all. However, I couldn't focus on my book, so I closed it with a sigh. Closing my eye slowly, I remembered that there was something I was supposed to do.

 _What was it?_ I sat up and went to my kitchen, glancing at the drawers and finding nothing I wanted. Then, I recognized what was needed of me. Iruka had mentioned something about Naruto, something that he thought was important for me to understand, yet I completely ignored him. I promised to keep an eye on him, for some reason. He had great chakra preserves, but didn't show any real skills.

He seemed to be a real let down, a disappointment in that department. He was the Fourth's son, yet he only resembled him in appearance... so far. I snaked a hand through my hair as I thought. _Perhaps it was all a ploy.? Maybe. One could only hope, though._ I let out another sigh, walking out the door, deciding to pay the young Genin a visit. All I had to accomplish is to find the troublemaker.

That in itself was a chore. You never knew where he was unless he had his normal tendencies to cause a commotion with. I sauntered through the village, checking his normal places he often went to. With no luck, though, until I recognized the young one's voice. I started toward the sound, only to notice that he was engaged in a conversation with Sasuke (more like an argument).

Sasuke, like usual, sported his annoyed look at the other, while Naruto, unlike himself, seemed to shrink away from him. Naruto seemed to just want to leave as Sasuke said something with a devious smirk upon his face. "Alright, you wanna train, huh? Well?" If it were possible, the smirk stretched wider.

He was planning something. I decided to end it before it began. "Sorry, Sasuke. But I promised to train Naruto today." The look he gave me was so fierce, but I stood my ground. I was used to people not being entirely grateful for my appearance, so after he finally stomped- oh wait, Uchiha's don't stomp, so "walked forcibly"- away. I put a hand on Naruto's shoulder just as he turned to leave.

"Weelll, I better be going," he started.

I chuckled. "What wrong, kid?"

His face grew red as he glared by at me. "I am not a kid."

I raised my brow. "What are you then?" I propelled him forward as he seemed to think about his answer. He didn't even realize we were heading toward the training grounds until it was too late. He tried to leave again, but I held him in place. "Since you are here, why don't we see to that extra training, eh?"

He let out a long breath. "Fine, I've nothing better to do." His blue eyes locked with my dark one as a smile forced its way to his face. He wasn't exactly happy to be here, but tough luck. He needed the practice anyway, from what I could determine from my knowledge of previous events.

I smiled my typical eye-smile, as its been called. "I thought so, I want you to show me what you can do." I waited as Naruto blinked at me.

"Don't you already know?" He questioned softly. I gave him a look, which caused him to pout, arms crossing over his chest in a resisting manner. He always pulled this on me, eventually his resolve would have to wear thin.

I resisted the urge to pull out my book, instead I stated. "Show how many clones you can make." He was awfully stubborn today. He scowled as he performed the signs, fluently, and at least a hundred hims appeared. Honestly, it was a lot more than I expected. I nodded my approval.

All of the clones grinned at me. There were so many, all surrounding me. Something breathed on my neck. "How's that?" A laugh exploded behind me as I had to stop myself from jumping out of my skin. All the clones disappeared, leaving only the original one, which presently leaned against a random tree. "I'm pretty good, aren't I?" He teased me.

I said. "Not really, no."

He instantly glared at me. "What?!" He stomped up to me, poking me in the chest. "I'm just as good as Sakura or that bastard!" He was a bold one.

"I've never witnessed it." I rubbed my hand through his hair. "Lighten up, you do have talent, I'll give you that."

He looked up at me suspiciously, peering through his eyelashes. It was moments before he responded with a grin. "Yeah! You better believe I do!"

He has determination, you could tell from his eyes, even if everything was false with his expression. I've noticed a few times that he forced many of his emotions to his face, but I've never worried about it. A lot of shinobi partake in a practice like that. However, it just didn't fit well with him. What could have happened to him to cause this? I know Sasuke was the way he was because of his complete destruction of his clan, but Naruto?

He was orphan, which I could only recall would be the only traumatizing experience to occur in his life, but I realized I didn't really know anything about him. The others, for some reason, I knew more about. Maybe, just maybe, the Nine-Tails was involved with this. Perhaps- I instantly remembered what Iruka had spoken of.

He told me about the night that the ninja, Mizuki, pretty much attacked Naruto. However, Naruto wasn't hurt in any way, yet the same couldn't be said for Mizuki. His shoulder was practically torn out of his socket and various other injuries along with it had marked his body. I smiled beneath my mask at the child. So he was good, just no one knew.

I sent a weak punch at Naruto stomach, who made no move to evade it. It hit him, causing him to scowl. He clutched his stomach. "What the hell was that for?" He glared at me while he rubbed his stomach. Now I knew he was faking some of it, since I've hit him harder before in an earlier training session with the whole team, and he just got angrier.

I shrugged my shoulder. "Training," was my only response. I delayed my next sentence. "I suggest you try." I rushed at him.

. . . .

We were at Ichiraku's after I decided Naruto had enough. I knew that Naruto had tried somewhat in training (since Naruto's brow had sweat on it), but not to his full extent. I was relieved to find out that he also was a great fighter, like his father. I sighed lightly. If only he knew him, he wouldn't be hiding in plain sight. I glanced over at Naruto, who was picking at his food. "What's wrong, not hungry because you couldn't get that one exercise?"

I was picking on him, yes, but it didn't feel like he was pushing himself fully either. It was based off his chakra. He had to push forth some of it. It was a test of exactly how much chakra his body could withstand, but he instantly gave up after two tries.

He laughed once. It was short and humorless. "Nah, but it's about it..." He hesitated as he directed his eyes to me. I wasn't going to rush him. If I did, I might never get the question out of him. His gaze flickered to his hand then up at me. "How can I make sure it doesn't overwhelm me?" His voice was soft spoken and quiet, clearly only for me to hear.

I looked at him and went to respond when someone arrived and sat down next to Naruto. Naruto lost interest in me and nodded a quick goodbye. "Well, thanks for the training and all, but I really must be going." He ducked out of the place like a flash. If only he had that motivation in regular training, he would be astounding. I paid and left the Ramen Shop, pausing only to see that Naruto didn't even touch his ramen.

That was a big surprise. Something was up with him; it was showing true now. The question he had asked me, though, stuck to me as I walked. I couldn't understand what he was meaning by that, or why it was so secretive. My brain supplied me with a flashback of our training. Naruto was smiling, like usual, but uncharacteristically, Naruto asked if I would not tell anyone.

He either didn't want people to know he needed help at increasing his skills, or that he didn't need the help to begin with. I wasn't sure yet, but eventually I'd know. Then it clicked. The villagers did not like Kyuubi, so he was hiding it, so they didn't panic. He wasn't only protecting himself; he was protecting, most of all, the village.

Or was I completely mistaken? Was there something deeper that I've overlooked?


	6. Chapter 5

**(I do not own anything, but the plot. I appreciate people actually reading this story. I had to break up chapters 5 and 6, since it was too long.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 5**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I trudged back to my place, which I rarely used, only to sleep in and usually I didn't even do that. I opened the door with my foot, shoving it open and barely closing it before I flopped face-down on my bed. I was so tired; I didn't even bother to change or remove the weapons across my bed. They laid discarded from my frantic search for... I don't even remember what it was for.

Oh well, if I wake up with a missing leg, at least I'd know what it was from. I passed out immediately when I hit the bed.

. . . .

For once, I didn't have any nightmares or any night time visits from Kyuubi or anyone else. "Wake up," a voice shot through my waking mind. It hissed. "Wake up, idiot!"

I sat up as I set my wary eyes on him. "What do you want?"

"Your friend has been trying to get in here all night." Kyuubi glared at me.

I yawned. "So?" I deserved some sleep, actually a lot of sleep. I just had to shut off my mind, which in retrospect wasn't the greatest idea, but it didn't matter now. I actually got a good sleep; I haven't had one in ages. Wait- did he say, friend?

Kyuubi whacked me in the head, causing me to sigh. "Run around the village fifty times." He ordered.

I knew he was going to hit me hard for not just disobeying him, but breaking his rules, not waking up for a late night practice, and completely ignoring him. He's probably irritated at me not coming straight home to face his wrath as well, hence why I wanted to train with someone. I didn't want to return home yesterday because, no doubt, Kyuubi would make me pay big time.

I stood and changed into a white t-shirt and orange shorts. "Alright, I'm going, calm yourself." I smirked when it seemed to just make him even angrier. I was definitely going to pay for this, but I smirked even more. "You're even worse than a kunoichi on her period, damn 'Uubi." He growled at me, striking me once more before disappearing into my chest. It hurt like heck every time he did it.

No matter the circumstances it always felt like my chest was being torn apart and exploded in the same instant. I headed outside and started to jog to the entrance of the village. When I reached past the exit, I ran then jogged then ran again. I kept that up for a while. I couldn't help, but think back to the question I had asked Kakashi about. I can't believe I even thought to ask it, let alone voice it.

I jogged, ran, jogged, and ran again in a certain cycle. I jogged and and ran, then jogged, then- I hesitated in picking up speed. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a green blur coming straight for me. I jumped out of the person's way, keeping up my jog somehow. The green blur came back around.

"Naruto!" The green beast yelled enthusiastically. "What a youthful thing you're doing!" He kept stride with me, eventually running circles around me.

I resisted rolling my eyes, instead I grinned falsely. "Good morning Guy."

 **(AN: Avert your eyes! My friend's retardedness is coming up soon, sorry about this readers. Just kidding about averting you eyes, it's not that bad.)**

Guy, which I couldn't call him by his last name since I didn't even know if he had one, gave a big booming laugh. "I wish you were my pupil!"

"What about Lee?" I asked him, continuing my slow jog, with my head tilted to the side.

"We could make it a three some." He exclaimed.

My mouth almost dropped to the ground. I blinked. I really hope he was talking about training, oh Kami please be talking about training! "A-Ah." I didn't really know how to respond. All I wanted was him to leave. I turned my face away from him, willing him in my mind to just leave me be. Leave, oh please, just leave. I hoped he wasn't talking about anything else, but I didn't intend to find out.

 _Nope!_

With what felt like hours, (more like in minutes in real time), Guy took his leave, not without his loud goodbye and hopes of seeing me doing more of this. I groaned as he went out of sight. I would rather face Kyuubi ten times over if I didn't have to run around the village. He always seemed to locate me when I ran. Now that was a punishment in itself.

Normal people thought the bubbly loud Naruto was obnoxious, clearly they haven't met Guy or Rock Lee. I reached the speed of my normal sprint and held it for a while, only to return to a run then back to the sprint. I did not want to have a replay of that conversation. That was the first time he said that, which I wanted to forget more than anything.

Inside me, I could feel Kyuubi laughing at me. I grew annoyed with myself more than him. Of course, I could have ignored Guy, should have, but I didn't. "Stop laughing," I hissed below my breath at the fox, who just laughed harder. I arrived to my house, only to end up getting on the displeasing orange outfit and going to the Ramen Shop, by Kyuubi's orders.

I felt off as I went to my favorite place. Kyuubi had to have a reason for allowing me to purposely go to the place. Behind me I heard the familiar voice say. "We need to talk." It was more a hiss than anything else.

I turned just as Kyuubi muttered. 'There's that 'friend' of yours again.' I stopped dead. Of course, it had to be the brooding Uchiha. Team 7 definitely had its share of problems. I crossed my arms, subconsciously pushing out my hip for a more comfortable position. He gripped my arm tight and dragged me a little away from Ichiraku's. I glared. "What do you want?"

He was annoyed at me again for some reason. "Why the heck do you have traps set around your apartment?" Then I realized his clothes were ripped, torn, and some burnt off.

I laughed; I couldn't help it. Uchiha growled low. I gasped for air, my sides splitting. "Oh, man... Why were you near my place anyway?" I asked with a smirk. Uchiha scowled darkly at me. "Keep getting angrier, maybe that vein will pop." I walked away. So he was at my house, why? I shrugged, uncaring. People were getting too nosy around here, Kakashi and now him.

Great, who else next? I decided against going for ramen, now understanding that Kyuubi had set me up there. Just keep walking and I'll be safe enough. I jumped on top of the roof and ran. I didn't notice that I was running so fast, but I ended up at the training rounds in a matter of seconds. Jumping down from the tree- _wait when did this happen?- okay, moving on_ , I took a stance and swung out my leg, did a front flip, and ended with a sharp punch to the air.

I got back into a different stance this time, exhaling slowly. My eyes gazed around. No one was here. When my smirk found itself on my face, I let some of my chakra escape from my body. The red circled around my arms as I swiftly punched the air, even to me, it was pretty much impossible to track. I did a few more, thrilled as it seemed that my hand disappeared each time.

'Pay attention,' Kyuubi's voice warned me. I instantly trapped the chakra away and turned to an incoming person. I gazed in boredom as the Uchiha appeared. Persistent, isn't he? 'Definitely,' agreed Kyuubi. I waited for him to reach me, causing me to raise a brow. "The answer's no. I'm not telling you anything."

He looked taken aback. He let out a strangled sigh, defeat obvious in his features for not even a millisecond. Then, it was replaced with a blank expression. "Eventually, you'll slip up."

"Of course, but I haven't for nearly six years." I purposely mentioned the six years, but I couldn't tell if he received anything from it. "Keep dreaming." I murmured, someone had to. I left him once again. Now away from people, in the woods somewhere, I leaned my whole backside and head against a tree. I felt like I needed to keep up the charade, but I wanted to drop it.

I sank to the ground to sit. I honestly could care less if some of them suspected something. I actually found myself smiling a true, but rare and small, smile. I knew what I could do, and Kyuubi knew exactly what I was thinking because he took the time to come out personally. "No-" He started.

I was tired of no, but I sighed and went along with it. He disappeared again. I stood up and walked back to the village. I was fuming. _NO. No. Always NO._ I clutched my hands, feet moving me across the ground without me knowing where I was going. I stopped in front of a restaurant that I've never been in before. I walked in and got hit with various scents of food.

It didn't smell bad. I sniffed again, which was unneeded since I already had an amazing sense of smell as it was. I smelt food, spices, pepper, and depending on the drink, what it was, such as alcohol, juice, or whatever it was. I just stood in the doorway and was about to leave when something hit me. It was Kakashi. He dragged me to a seat and sat beside me.

I eyed him, and he just gave me his eye smile. I shifted. It was uncomfortable in here, especially when eyes were directly on me: the stranger sitting with the famous Copy Ninja, until they realized who I was. Instinct told me to bow my head, or was it Kyuubi? It didn't matter. I did what I was told. I fiddled with my headband, trying to draw attention to it and not my face.

I removed my headband and pretended to clean it with a cloth. A hand ruffled through my hair. I shoved it away. No doubt it was Kakashi trying to get my attention. I wouldn't do it. He got me into this mess. He needed to let me leave. I got up. "Nice to see you, but I think I took a wrong turn." I weaved through the bodies and chairs, slipping by a few waiters until I collided with a person.

I fell to the ground, only to open my eyes to reveal an angered civilian. He knew who I was. He went to do something, but I never got the chance to see what it was. I was up and moving again. Fancy places and me don't mix, clearly. I reached for the door, just as it opened. Just my luck, I tripped on the rug in that instant to completely smack my face against the glass.

Whoever was on the other side was in a rush to get in, since the hit was hard enough for a bump to form on my head. Maybe I should have left my forehead protector. Too late now. I gazed up at the person and glared, snapping to my feet. "Stop following me!" I yelled at the Uchiha, shoving his shoulder. Any eyes not on me before were absolutely staring now.

Uchiha smirked. "Are you sure you aren't following me?" He had his arrogant face, it made me want to punch him. I pulled back my clenched fist, growling low. It was too much anger. I growled more. It was at Kyuubi, at him, at everyone. I nailed him in the stomach instead of the face, barely able to make it hurt less than I wanted. It wasn't all his fault, and I did not need to kill him.

Uchiha slumped, gasping for breath still, despite me softening the punch a considerable amount. He narrowed his eyes, his eyes locking with mine. I didn't know what they showed, but it wasn't their normal display, I guess, because he didn't react. He just stepped back awkwardly. "Get better clothes and you might be able to come back." He stated, staring at me passively.

I blinked twice, and I couldn't help, but grin. It was real, for once. I darted out of the restaurant, down the road, and into an alley. I knew I could convince Kyuubi to let me "change." It wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't wear orange, right? Exactly. I just had to reason with that controlling fox. I grinned. _Hey Kyuubi_ , my thought drawled on.

He didn't respond. "Hey Kyuubi!" I yelled out. "I'll keep yelling if you don't answer!"

 _ **. . . .**_

 _ **(Gaara shows up next time. What should I write the name as Gai, Gaa, or what?)**_


	7. Chapter 6

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Thanks for reading, following, reviewing, and the favorites! I had to break up chapters 5 and 6, since it was too long.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 6**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I kept yelling for him to respond, using his name at least once more before he talked.

Kyuubi growled within me. 'Shut up, you'll expose us.' "That's the point." I responded.

'Shut up runt.' He growled again.

 _Will you actually concentrate on what I'm asking you?_

'The answer will and always will be, no-'

 _But-_

'No.'

 _How about a proposal? You pick a task, and if I accomplish it, I can do what I want._

There was no response. If I didn't know, I'd think he was ignoring me, but he was just contemplating. He was never the one to turn down one of my proposals, prime example of the original proposal still in effect. 'Turn around, do you know who they are?'

I turned and nodded. _Sand Siblings, blonde one Temari, brunette Kankuro, the other one.. Gaara, Gai, Gaa, something that starts with a 'G.' Why?_

'Good. The middle one,' (the sibling whose name started with a G), 'is your opponent. You must defeat that one _without_ blowing our secret.' He emphasized it like I was stupid or something like that.

I nodded while I sculpted my face into Naruto's determined expression. _Then, I can do what I want?_

'Within boundaries, yes.'

That's as good as I was going to get. I jumped over the trash that I hid behind and rushed after the trio. I had to defeat him, and I could at least get rid of these clothes. That was my first decision if I accomplished it. He didn't seem all that special, but looks could be deceiving, clearly look at all of Team 7. We looked like mediocre kids, nothing special, but there was an Uchiha clan member (basically the last), a really strong Haruno, and an extreme upbeat blond boy.

I yelled from where I cut them off. "Hey you with the face! I..." I paused, finger left suspended in the air. I got a good look at the middle child. The he, which I suspected it was a him, was actually a female. It was a good thing I didn't call her a boy straight out. I'm not exactly sure how I ended up mistaking her for a boy; she even had long hair. I continued. "I challenge you!"

The blonde girl, Temari, glared in my direction. "Hey kid, you..." She stopped in what she was going to say when the redhead girl put up a hand. It immediately silenced her into walking past me, shaking her head.

The brunette, the only boy, (Kankuro), paused next to me and whispered. "Walk away while you still can." He continued to stand next to his blond sister, far away in case things got crazy.

I flashed my all time Naruto grin, resulting in a blank stare from the redhead. "Yeah." I chuckled lightly. "I challenged you, so you have to accept it." I ordered. I wasn't sure how to go through with this. If only Kyuubi warned me that she was a girl. It's not like I liked her; it's just that I was surprised. I couldn't like anyone anyway. My mind just made me think it was a guy, maybe the way she stood?

I don't know, but she stared at me. "No," was her cold reply as she made a move to leave.

There was that no again. I blocked her path, hearing a gasp from behind to where her siblings stood. I tried a different approach. "You scared girl? That must be the reason. Ah, so I win by default?" I picked up a few things to get people to respond to me, and she seemed to have a short fuse. She glared at me. It was a good thing I was used to Uchiha's glare, but his glares didn't measure up to hers. Hers were better, more fierce and deadly.

I took this opportunity to attack with a shift kick toward her shin. It was slower than usual, but it was to make sure she'd hit back. Instead of hitting back, sand formed right before my foot hit. I couldn't hide the smirk from my face. This was going to be fun. I took a step back and ran toward her. Sand protected her again as I jumped over her to land in a crouch on her other side.

You could tell she was a vessel for a Tailed-Beast just looking at her. I knew she hadn't merged with hers, so she wasn't at her full potential, but she had a great defense. My offense was better than my defense as well as using some weapons. That made me think of Ten Ten. She was very skilled in using Ninja Tools and whatnot. I made a mental note to mention to Kyuubi that I needed work on defense and weapon handling.

It was unnecessary since he already knew. I wondered which beast she hosted. Just before I came up with a name, Kyuubi hinted to me. 'One-Tail.' It was Shukaku then. It would be funny if instead of it being Shukaku, it was Isobu (a beast "attached" to water). It would be hilarious to have Isobu in the Sand, or vice versa with Shukaku in the water. I dodged as sand soared at me. I ran at her again, punching the wall of sand that erupted from the sand gourd on her back.

Sand crept up my arm. I knew Kyuubi told me not to blow the secret, so I created a Rasengan in my other hand and hit it with the sand. It allowed my hand to venture out, and I ran around the wall and leaped into the air. I pretended to go to hit her, resulting in her sand to appear. I sensed that would happen, what I didn't sense was that when I went to attack again that sand had spread over my feet.

Actually it was starting to, but I backed up to make sure it didn't get me. I knew it wouldn't end well. Out of nowhere, her hand came at my face, close enough for me to snap my head back to avoid the hit, still receiving a slap of sand across my cheek. I did a back flip when it sent me into the air. I rubbed my cheek. _She's better than she looks._

That would understand why he picked her as my opponent. I had to focus. I rushed at her again, running until her sand rushed to protect- no grab a hold of me- I dove for the ground and basically disappeared as I reappeared behind her, back to back. With a soft jab to the back of her neck, I deemed that I had won. I beamed and turned to face her, only to get hit with sand directly in my chest.

I soared through the air until I came to rest on my feet. _Shukaku was good._ At that, Kyuubi growled. He didn't seem partial to that comment. I let a smirk slide to my face as she approached, a murderous look to her eyes. I extended my hand. "Great fight," and I meant it. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" I was back to being the goofy blond as I jutted a finger at my chest.

My other hand, still held out to her, stayed there as she stared at it. She gave me a quick scowl, and she went to her siblings, saying something that got them nearly sprinting for the Hokage's Tower. I crossed my arms, similar to the fashion she displayed even with me fighting her. I tilted my head and closed my eyes. _I won, Kyuubi, don't go back on your promise._

I was aware that he wanted to argue that it wasn't a real fight, but then I'd tell him that I could blow the secret, so clearly it was real enough. 'Fine, you can convert to your usual outfit.' He grumbled. I jumped up. _Finally!_ I ran home, changing out of the hideous clothes in favor for my blue-gray suit with a dark gray flak vest, blue-gray sandals that had a black piece of elastic material wound around each one, and some- matching the gray of the vest- arm guards.

 _ **(AN: The look resembled Kakashi's Anbu outfit, except you couldn't see Naruto's shoulders and the color of the gray vest/jacket, whatever you want to call it, was a shade or two darker and the suit was less baggy than Kakashi's.)**_

I couldn't understand why I liked the look, but it felt as if I were part of something better. Better than just being an annoying good-for-nothing pretender. I let out a sigh. I wished Kyuubi would say something, but when I needed him most, he never showed up (like today in that restaurant or before I went in). That would have been great if he did, but no, he didn't.

He ignored me, just like he was doing now. I trudged to get ramen. It always seemed to pick me up, at least a bit. I ordered and picked at it. I took a slow bite, but I found it not appetizing. It was tasteless at the moment. My brain barely registered someone sitting on the stood nearby. _I swear if it's Uchiha again!_ I almost growled, but stopped myself. It was that redhead.

She didn't even look at me. Perhaps, she didn't notice or just ignored me. I huffed, resting my chin on my palm with my elbow on the counter, and turned my head to the right so I could ignore her too. I went to eat my ramen to find it missing. My eyes darted to where the bowl had just been. I searched and found that she had it. My eyes narrowed as she took a bite out of _MY_ ramen.

I growled low, only for her to hear. "Give it back."

She didn't respond, only her pale green eyes slid over to me, eyebrow raised. Well, would have been raised if you could see it. I didn't know when it was that I stood, but I looked down on her, growling as I gripped the side of the bowl.

"That's called stealing." I hissed, starting to pull it away.

Her hand held the bowl in place. "Others call it sharing."

My body shook as I watched the bowl break between our fingers. I swung out my arm, grabbing the stool that I used to be sitting on. I honestly thought I was going to hit her. I smashed the stool off the counter, grabbed the bowl and threw it to the ground. All the while I yelled, "Wanna know what? Screw it, fricken screw it! SCREW it." I stomped away before anyone reacted and immediately ran to my house.

I found my sword and tied my headband around my waist and created a knot to hold the sword. After I accomplished that, I stormed out of the apartment. I left the village. I had to do something. I couldn't sit there. I reached a part of the forest, growling and cursing all the words I could remember, most were actually from Uchiha. I punched a nearby tree with all my might.

As soon as the connection struck home, the tree didn't stand a change. It exploded on contact, and the rest of it crumbled to the ground. I hissed through my teeth, fingers clutching my hair. I was so-so-so tremendously enraged. She could not do that. Don't get me wrong, it was a plus side I didn't injure her, but I was close, _too close_.

I stomped my way through the forest. She had no right to touch that. Oh she thinks she's so scary?! She can scare people, _whooaa_. I growled, a very animal sounding noise. _Well, so could I! I could murder the whole village- I could make everyone fear me!_

Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and stopped my rampage. I went over to it without a second thought. It was shiny and big. Behind me I heard a child whimper. I turned and saw the child. The kid was attached to a tree nearby the weird object. I cut her loose and just then did I realize that I shouldn't have. She smirked evilly at me, raising something above her head and breaking it on the ground.

It revealed black smoke that struck my eyes, and I stumbled, catching myself on something. I realized too late that it was the object. Then, I felt myself fly through the air, ears ringing. I gasped.

I couldn't breathe, or see.


	8. Chapter 7

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Thanks for reading!)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 7**

 ***Kakashi POV***

 **. . .**

I headed out to find the blond troublemaker. He seemed to be in one of his moods. I checked his usual spots, twice. I began to get worried, which was not an easy feat. I noticed Sakura and Sasuke, at different times and places, and even asked them if they had seen him. Sakura said the last time she saw him was on the mission, while Sasuke pretty much told me to get lost.

Well, he said Naruto was lost and maybe I should do the same. However, he had mumbled something about him being near the Ichiraku's a few minutes ago then storming off to his house. I headed to his house and knocked. I'm not sure why I knocked, but we didn't need Naruto to be in one of his blind rages. I waited for a few seconds before I shoved open the door.

The door was barely on its hinges, seeming to have been thrown open numerous times. I searched for the boy, and I paused as I looked around. Weapons laid littered across the entire place, on the floor, on the bed, and some even on the walls (on it the wall for that matter). Instantly, I wondered, _how does he even sleep here?_ Everywhere there was weapons, but mostly they were piled up on the bed.

I searched around for a little while longer to find nothing. Naruto was nowhere to be seen. I decided that it was best if I talked to Tsunade, maybe she knew where he went. Sometimes he went there to just bother her, which was admitting slightly amusing. When I arrived, she greeted me, only to realize that something was wrong. She immediately got serious and what an untrained eye couldn't see, she hid her sake behind her desk.

She was always getting complaints. She gestured for me to come in. I remained standing as I said. "Naruto is not anywhere in the village."

She pursed her lips, deep in thought. Just beyond the village, a few miles away, an explosion sounded. The force sent wind hurtling through the streets, picking up small items and pushing bigger ones around. She abruptly slammed down her palms to regain my attention. She was standing now. "Go get him. Shizune!" Shizune was an experienced medical ninja, so Tsunade expected the worse.

I left and went toward the explosion. I ran, literally, so I reached the sight of the explosion in a matter if minutes, instead of twenty. I coughed on the black smoke, walking around a tree splintered and in a giant heap. My first thought was Naruto had done this, not the explosion, but destroyed the tree. I continued walking.

I found as I went closer to where the core of the explosion was I could breath less and less. I really hoped Naruto was not in this; it would be a miracle if he lived. I rushed to find him, and I saw a smoldering bump. I went to it, only to see it was the cause of the entire explosion. It was a big round sphere with the top gone. It was big, but it seemed to have been hidden deep within the ground.

My eyes watered from the smoke, almost making me turn around if I hadn't noticed a body meters away. I was over there in a heartbeat, only to see red and gray hair. It wasn't Naruto. I knelt, studying the person, which had the figure of a boy. My fingers traced along the mask. I recognized it from somewhere. I lifted, what I suspected to be a boy, the body up into my arms.

I had to get him to some place safe then I'd have to go back for Naruto. I felt something like a pang in my chest; I didn't know why it had even shown up. I looked down at the mask again. I knew it from somewhere. I knew those clothes. He couldn't be in league with Anbu, could he? I stared at the masked boy, and I remembered that there was a kid.

An extraordinary kid that had breached Anbu, said to be around fourteen. _Was this..? No, it couldn't be..._ A vague voice inside my head supplied me with a name. I had to know. I lifted the mask a fraction, and everything stopped. The marks were precisely what the kid had. I couldn't really tell who was underneath the face paint. As I rubbed the marks away, I gazed at the child's face.

My eye widened a fraction, just standing in the street, staring. I almost forgot that the masked boy needed medical attention, but I dashed off toward the Hokage Tower with a new found urgency. I had to hurry, but I pushed the mask back over the boy's face.

. . .

I sat on a chair that the hospital had provided, as I waited for Naruto to wake up. I kept looking over from my book to the bed he laid in, even though I didn't even read a letter. Naruto was in bad shape, but so wouldn't anybody else. In fact, anyone that close to the blast should have died instantly, but he didn't. I waited and waited. It had been three hours until I heard him finally say something.

It wasn't what I expected though. It was ground out through his teeth, and it was deeper than his normal voice, but not much. "... Can't... No... Get. Up... Bad..." He grumbled. I didn't understand any of it. At least, he was saying something. I sighed, relief apparent. He would pull through, even if only two hours ago everyone at the hospital was about to pronounce him dead.

Naruto flinched in his sleep, head whipping from side to side, increasing in speed. "STOOPP!" He suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, hands causing the bed to creak under the pressure from his grip. He screamed again, softer, but nonetheless still there. I went to stand, but he immediately stopped yelling, only pants came from his mouth.

His breathing was harsh and quick, as if he was in pain. Most likely he was. We all heard about the chemical that was used in the explosive. I'd have to tell Naruto what it could do, what it was supposed to do. I continued to wait until an hour passed. Somehow, I must have fallen asleep because I awoke to Naruto's grunt. I opened my eye to watch the kid sit up.

Knowledge told me, that even with Kyuubi's enhanced healing abilities, Naruto should be still unconscious, but here he was trying to sit up. He actually accomplished it. His eyes swept across the room real quick and eventually landed on me. He was confused; his facial expression was all mixed up: sadness would show up, his happy personality would butt in, his mouth frowning and then smiling, then staying in a tight line, and his eyebrows crunched down then rose up high in the air.

He was completely and utterly in a state of bemusement. His blue eyes unfocused, wavering all around. I sat straighter in the chair, about to try to talk with him until the door burst open, and Tsunade flew in. She was glaring, practically spitting out fire. "Naruto Uzumaki! What were you doing with this?" She rose up the mask from earlier.

Naruto looked even more confused, then his mind must have caught up because he grinned his beaming grin. "Ah, I, uhm, I took it from some sucker. I am a prankster, so..." His hand rubbed the back of his neck.

She didn't seem to be buying it. "You haven't done a prank in ages."

I let out a sigh. He was going to be toast if he didn't come up with something. His eyes met with mine as he chuckled lightly. "Once a prankster, always a prankster."

"Naruto," she glared profusely. "Answer me, the right way."

I had no idea what he was going to say. His mouth opened to voice whatever the answer was.

"Truth is..."


	9. Chapter 8

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 8**

 ***Sakura POV***

 **. . .**

I saw the strange kid from afar. He resembled Sasuke, in a way, with slight differences. He seemed... lost. I couldn't help, but go over. I gazed at him; he didn't glance up at all. However, I knew he could feel me next to him. Quickly, my eyes darted to the piece of paper in his hand. I got lost in the lines that I didn't realize his stare. I blinked and turned away.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone could draw like that." I said, hesitating to turn back to him. Only when I heard paper rustling did I sit next to him on a bench and watched him put away his things. He went to stand, but stopped as I blurted out. "Wait!" His dark eyes drifted to me, as I continued. "I haven't seen you around here. Are you new?" I instantly remembered Naruto had mentioned a new teammate.

I didn't believe Naruto at first, but being right in front of the kid changed my mind. The kid seemed to debate on answering me, so instead, I gave him a smile. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'm Sakura, by the way." I outstretched my hand to him as a greeting. He hesitated again, but slowly, his hand found mine, and our handshake was brief.

"Sai," his voice stated, and I almost missed it. He sat back down cautiously, eyes downcast.

 _Why was he like this? You'd think he doesn't know how to be like in public._ I hid my giggle with the back of my hand, as I thought about the possibility. _It was insane. Of course, he'd know how to._ However, as I looked him over, I realized that it could be true.

That maybe he didn't know how to act or not. I bumped my leg with his to get his attention. He visibly jumped and turned his eyes on me, wary. I shook my head with a slight smile. "Can I see your drawing again?" He just shook his head once. I shrugged. "Alright, you want to see me draw?" I watched as he shrugged one shoulder, clearly not used to the gesture.

In fact, he seemed to be attempting to imitate my shrug. He didn't really talk, or want to for that matter. I asked if I could borrow a piece of paper and an object to write with. He eventually obliged, and as I stretched in lines, I could feel him move a bit closer to look. I allowed him to do so, until he made a noise. I eyed him. _Was he trying not to laugh?_ I grew furious.

 _Sorry no one can be as good as you kid!_ I clenched up the piece of paper, my eyes narrowed at him. He tilted his head, seeming to not understand why I was angry at him. Then, I realized I was overreacting. It wasn't a laugh; it was... something else. When I glanced to the paper, I frowned faintly. _Well, this was a horrible introduction._ Out of the corner of my eye I saw him shift to the side and retrieve something from his pocket.

He had another writing utensil in his hand and took my piece of paper. Smoothing it out, he drew across it in the corner. "You're pressing too much," was his statement as he gave me a small smile. He offered the paper back, and I loosened my grip and touched the paper. I made my hand slowly go around the page, and with a nod from Sai, I concentrated on what I was designing instead of my hand.

It wasn't awful; actually, it was better than anything that I have ever created. I glanced toward Sai, who's eyes locked with mine after a little while. He immediately glanced back at the drawing, moving a bit closer toward it, effectively coming closer to me in the process. I watched as he pointed out the good, and some moderate, lines. "What do you think about it?" I asked, hopeful with all the good things he pointed at.

He concentrated on the paper before he responded.

"It's terrible."

I blinked, mouth dropping open. I couldn't believe he said that, and so bluntly!

. . . .

 ***Sai POV* (- _notice_ the change)**

 **. . .**

I thought for a split second after the strange person finished her drawing. I already knew that it was horrible, but I was not going to tell her that. Instead, I pointed to the semi-alright parts. It wasn't good at all; it was hard not to offend the girl- _Sakura, right?_ -. I barely found anything really extraordinary to it. I heard her ask a variation of what my opinion was.

I didn't really have an opinion. I just said what came to mind as I took the whole drawing into view. Shapes weren't proportionate, lines weren't straight, lines were both too thin or too thick, none were the right size, and the space she used was inappropriate. She didn't use the whole area. Overall, it was... well... "It's terrible." I told her flat out. It was the truth.

She looked like she did a moment ago. I couldn't clarify the emotion rolling off her. "What?!" She growled. I tilted my head, slightly hoping this would serve as another excuse, since it did before. It just made her slam her hand down. "You were acting as if it was good." Her green eyes drilled into my eyes. I didn't glance away. I just imitated her shrug again.

At that point in time, her face got real red. "You might be sick." I said, finally sitting straight on the bench and looking away from her. I had heard people can have red faces when they catch some types of sickness, maybe she should get that checked out it it persists. It was silent as I waited for her to do something.

A sigh came from next to me. "I have got to be, since, I'm not that angry-" _That's what she was a moment ago?_ "-anymore." I turned to her just as she gave me a semi-strained smile. I gave her one too. It was real, even if it was small. I never smiled fully, wasn't complied to have to. When I was younger, I didn't smile at all, but something- no, someone- changed it. Saved me from certain death.

I know smiling represents happiness, which I still had, even it was practically not even there. I pretty much lost it a while ago, well a lot of it. I stood slowly. I decided it was to leave. I must be late to meet my new and only sensei. I've heard about him quite a bit. He was extremely good at being a shinobi, Konoha's Copy Ninja. _Hm,_ he _mentioned I'd be in a team?_ I wondered who I'd be with.

I went to leave only to turn back to the pink haired girl. "Sakura?" She turned to me. "...Have a good day." I left her without another word. Maybe, she'd actually have a nice day, but I might not be as lucky. I almost got lost getting to the village at first, funny huh. I paused in walking. _At least I'll belong here..?_ I stopped my thoughts. Despite the slim chance, I was still hoping.

I didn't know where I even came from. In my knowledge, I didn't have a family, and I didn't even have a village, but I had to have a family somewhere. I had to come from someone. I couldn't have been a mistake experiment gone wrong. I felt my lip quirk up slightly. _That would be preposterous. An experiment, funny._ I continued walking to my destination.

"You must be Sai," a calm voice commented from a little ways away.

I stopped walking. Many people in this world wasn't exactly the nicest people ever, so you learn to be cautious, especially when I never had any experience in fighting or being by myself. I didn't move, staring at the man. He had silver hair, a book in his hand, and his back against a tree. He didn't feel like a threat right now, but nonetheless I made no move to cross the few short meters between us.

My instinct was to stay away. You could trust no one, at least not at first. He must be the sensei I was told about. His one dark eye curved up, almost like a smile. He walked up to me, and instantly, my hands started to sweat. I didn't know if I was supposed to leave, stay, or do something else. I stood up straight. "Yes, I'm Sai, who are you?" I wanted to sound unaffected.

"The name's Kakashi, kid." He bent down to become eye-level with me.

I stared blankly at him. Even if I was freaking out somewhat inside, I could hide it very well. It was the only plus to my younger years.

He stared for a little while until he straightened his back. He seemed to be really intent on observation. "You'll be with Team 7." He told me.

 _Team 7._ My mind echoed back, registering.

 _...Team 7. Whoever they are..._


	10. Chapter 9

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. This chapter displays naruto as still the not-so tough kid: he is quite young still.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 9**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

All I felt was pain. I couldn't breath, or see, or really think for that matter. For some reason, though, I felt something touch me, and I felt like I was floating. I tried to open my eyes, yet they remained stubborn and closed. I wanted to move, yet I discovered I couldn't do anything. Even when something brushed against my face, I couldn't swat it away, nor could I tell whatever (or whoever) to stop.

. . .

The next thing I knew I was seeing myself walking in the woods. I looked not in the least amused as I stomped through the woods, trampling over anything in my path. Something shiny flashed next to me, turning to it. It exploded, resulting in me clenching my eyes closed. I opened them to the sounds of screaming, scents of fire. I found myself staring at a burning building. Suddenly, I was forced to my chest while a weight held me down.

"Don't move," it hissed. Despite the voice ordering me, I started to squirm. It did me no good. I can't get up. I struggled even more. I wanted to yell at the person, but I couldn't, once again I was helpless. I closed my eyes as pain exploded from my back. I screamed out in pain. It hurt so much. I tried, with more urgency, to escape. The pain just increased.

Then, I smelt a strange, yet known, smell. It reeked of hospital. I tensed. It's all a nightmare. It's not real. Plus, our increased healing since that one night kept us out of the hospital most of the time. In fact, our healing abilities are so great that I never got any scars at all... well except for that one. The one that stretched across the bottom of the left side of my stomach to the middle of my right rib.

I've asked him what it was from, since I never had any idea, but he'd never respond. It was like he didn't know, or he didn't want to tell me.

Yet, I still smelled that awful scent; it poured into my nose, reaching my brain until that's all I could focus on. I cracked open my one eye and looked around. I was in a hospital. My stomach sank. _Why was I here? No, no, I have to leave._ I sat up with one thing set. My objective was to leave this place. Naruto was afraid of ghosts or something unimportant like that, but I was terrified of hospitals.

They always brought pain, pity, unwanted flashbacks, and a feeling of dread to me. I tried to sit up as fast as I could, only to be barely up by the time I sucked in a breath, eyes darting across the room. I was panicking. I needed to escape. I couldn't stay here. I pushed myself up further. _GET UP! Before they come._ It was only a matter of time when they showed up.

They didn't care; they just wanted to say they "tried" to save the demon-uhm, child. They never saw me anything but a monster. I panicked more, as if the walls were closing in on me. I can't stand this place. Too many questions, too many peering eyes, too many... injuries... I went to stand, but stopped when my eyes found someone sitting on the chair across the room. It took me a moment to recognize who it was after my brain cleared somewhat.

 _Kakashi?! Why was he here?_ I remained silent. _What did he witness?_ My eyes must be deceiving me or... The door suddenly opened and banged against the wall as an infuriated blonde stood in the doorway. She was ticked about something. I didn't understand what she said, but she was waving around her own hand quite a lot. Wait, something was in that hand.

I tired to focus on the thing, finding it only to be a mask. She's probably wanted to know where it came from, but why was she so angry about just a mask. A horde of memories smacked me in the face: the mask, the object, the kid, the explosion, the black smoke. I forced my "Naruto" grin. "I, uhm," I couldn't think all too clearly. "I took it from some sucker, I'm a prankster sooo."

She made a comeback along the lines of not committing a prank in a while, which I faked a chuckle, hoping no one caught on. My eyes slid to meet Kakashi's one uncovered eye, which seemed to be observing me. "Once a prankster, always a prankster."

That just created a worse problem, getting her even angrier at me. "Naruto, answer me the right way." She seemed barely composed enough to stop herself from hitting me. The only reason I wasn't smacked and sent away was most likely because I was "injured."

"Truth is..." Making my lip jut out, I frowned. "I wanted to try on Kakashi's mask, and he wouldn't let me." I whined, "I wanted to see what it felt like!" I was being loud again, but I had to make sure they believed my lies (like they always did).

She glared at me, mouth in a tight line, just as Kakashi spoke. "It's true."

 _Wait, he's defending me?!_

"Naruto didn't even have Kurama's marks, so how about I put the mask some place, so Kurama can get it, while his identity is still intact?" He added.

 _Did he know?_ My mind was so jumbled that I thought I detected some sort of pride in his voice when he said, 'Kurama.'

She pondered this for a little bit, glancing from Kakashi to me. "Alright, but I don't want to hear this occurring ever again, is that understood?"

I nodded and grinned falsely. "Okay Grandma." She slapped the mask on the table where my sword lay and walked out of the room. I couldn't help, but sigh, rubbing my eyes. I totally forgot Kakashi was there for a second. It must be from that smoke. I remembered reading about something like it. I knew what it looked like, what it did, and now, I knew what it felt like.

It felt terrible. I was so distorted, and I knew my emotions were crazier than before. The smoke would cause that, as well as a temporary period of amnesia, pain, less than efficient body movement, and in rare cases, nausea. My body shook on its own accord as I stopped myself from running down the hall and out of this place. "Naruto," it was my mind screwing with me, _just ignore it, maybe it'll go away_.

"Naruto." I looked up cautiously. That was _not_ in my head; I saw Kakashi stand and approach me. He picked up my mask. "Have you ever heard of Kurama?" I shook my head, playing dumb. He nodded once, looking me over. "Alright," he went toward the door, pausing as he looked back. "should I leave it at your house then?"

"Yeah-" It slipped out, making me clamp my mouth shut. _Dammit_. That smoke's making my brain jello.

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask, setting my mask down in the chair. "I want you to meet me at the training grounds whenever you get out of here." At that, he left me in the creepiest place ever. By most shinobi, it was a sanctuary. It saved them numerous times from major injuries, but to me it was my past coming back to haunt me. I stood and made my way to the window.

Opening it, I put my leg on the sill, ready to jump, but I paused. My eyes drifted to the mask and the sword, which I picked up both. Then, I took my leave, jumping through the window as quick as my body would allow me. I fell toward the ground, only to realize too late that I was going to land on a person. I couldn't do anything, or if I could, it didn't cross my mind, to evade the collision.

Fortunately, something snapped up over the person, and I hit it, hard. Falling to my back, I stared up at what stopped me. It was sand, moving sand. The sand disappeared, and I wished it didn't for some reason. Maybe, it was what awaited on the other side of the sand wall. It was that girl with the pale green eyes and red hair. She crossed her arms as I stared up at the sky.

She glanced down without any emotion. I stood as I felt her negative feelings, despite the indifferent look she gave. I definitely didn't understand them now, especially when at the peak of strength I couldn't. I could sense the feelings of others, but I didn't understand them perfectly.

I was trying to contemplate on the sudden feelings when my stomach churned, must be the smoke's effects. Out of the confusion, I picked up fast approaching chakra and knew, from experience, that it was not going to end well.

I instantly took off in a sprint, away from them, and thankfully away from her. She didn't seem all that thrilled to have been basically crushed by my falling body. I darted into an alley, too late to realize it was a dead end (and a very small alley it was- length and width).

If I could think clearly, I would have been out of here by now, but I wasn't. I hid in the shadows, only silence reached my eardrums. The only sound I heard was a soft drip of water on my right.

My attention was held by the water dripping down in a pattern. _Drip... Drip..._ When I finally tore my eyes away from the drip, I noticed a figure at the end of the alley. I never even heard the person walk there.

Immediately, as if the person felt my stare, eyes met mine. My stomach jumped again. It was that girl again. She just stood there with that threatening gaze. I, then, remembered why I was here in the first place. If she continued to just stand there, I'd be found, and I was in no condition to run from any shinobi today or fight any for that matter.

My muscles reacted and grabbed hold of her, drawing her into my hiding place and backing as far away from the entrance as possible. My hand held her mouth close, but it would most likely not become a serious problem, but it was just in case.

I waited anxiously for them to rush past, which they, thankfully, did. I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding, and suddenly, something sharp- her elbow possibly?- hit me in the side. Instantly, she threw me over her shoulder, effectively causing me to release her. Something struck my chest and sent me flying out of the alley and into the building across the way.

I felt something start to surround my ankle and go to lift me off the ground. I jumped out of the way as the sand rose up with me. My eyes narrowed some as I "disappeared" to only reappear behind her. I was about to attack, but I was too slow. Usually, it would be simple, just not right now. Sand snaked around my body, quick. Suddenly, I was suspended in the air, surrounded by sand, as she walked closer. If looks could kill, particularly the one she was awarding me currently, I'd be killed fifty times over. Her arm was upward; fingers slowly going toward her palm. With each inch closer, the sand tightened around me.

It got to the point where it was uncomfortable, yet I didn't move. I didn't try to escape. I could have, but I didn't. Her cold dead eyes stayed right on me, daring me to try something.

"Well, this is great," I laughed, using Naruto's personality to say something. Her head tilted slightly as she growled at me. I shifted as the sand pushed further together. Her eyes closed as she tightened her hand more. She was taking her sweet time. I didn't struggle much. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable, (YET). When her eyes showed themselves, I was taken aback somewhat.

Her eyes held absolutely nothing. It was completely blank. Her fingers went to snap close, but she stopped and stared at me. No doubt, she was wondering what I was thinking. I remained silent for a little while. I knew her pain; anyone could see it, hidden beneath the surface. She hid it, but she couldn't hide it from me.

"You don't have to live this way." I stated lowly, hinting toward what I did without realizing it.

Her eyes narrowed at me, debating to crush me fast or slow, most likely.

I could feel all the emotions buried deep within her, even if I understood very few. I did select a few: anger, which is the easiest for me to find, and astonishment, which is another thing I found easy to recognize. She didn't move, just stared. I waited for her to react, only to realize that the sand was crushing me even more.

Out of nowhere, I smacked with the ground, sand dissolving away from me. I glanced up to see no one.

She was _gone_.


	11. Chapter 10

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 10**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

Between training with Kyuubi _and_ Kakashi, I was booked from dusk until dawn (and later). I didn't have too much time to myself, which may have been a blessing. Well, at least training kept me busy and kept me from causing so-called trouble. Kakashi had an unique approach to my training. Even though he trained me, helping me increase my skills; he also helped slightly in my memorization.

He'd ask me various questions, sometimes about past events, such as The First Shinobi World War and its armistice treaty ending it, and more. Sometimes, he asked about present news. I'd always come up with an answer, each and every single time... except one. Only one question that he ever asked me, even if it was simple, I never answered him. It was about who my parents were and what they did.

I've heard that my parents were Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure, so I didn't know how to respond. I wasn't going to say my parents were them, just to find out that they weren't. I was not taking any chances. It was best if I kept quiet, especially about my doubts. I knew who they were and what they did, but I didn't know if they had any relation to me.

They aren't here, so I could not ask them, could I? Despite that one question, I told Kakashi the correct answers and worked to half of my ability during training. He, being Kakashi, knew that I wasn't pushing myself entirely, but I sensed his astonishment when I only showed him half my power. We had agreed that he could train me if I tried every exercise, and we would meet far away from the village.

It has been like this: Wake up at five, Get up and Eat, Train with Kakashi, Work my butt off for Kyuubi, and then Sleep the rest of the time I had until five, which usually wasn't much. It was my routine now, since a few weeks ago right after the explosion. Except, today was different. Kakashi was finally allowing Team 7 to go on a C-Class mission, and not a D-Class one.

People didn't want to do their chores, so they would put up missions for unsuspecting genins to do. We had to do it, even if no one else wanted to. No matter what, it had to be done. Doing a different rank mission was great because the ones we usually did just reeked. It was our first "real" mission, at least the team's. I say real, as in no combat, but better working conditions and circumstances than what we're used to.

. . . .

I walked behind my teammates, glaring at the ground. _How could he?!_ He knew I was a greater than them, yet Haruno and Uchiha were still in charge! _That's bull._ They didn't deserve to be leading _any_ team. And who leaves their team for a mission?! Of course, it was supposed to be something small like capturing this troublesome -great, thanks Nara- animal that's causing a ruckus for a nearby village, but still.

Kakashi wasn't even with us; he had "more important things to do." I sighed slightly. Oh, the best part, was that I had to make sure the new kid got home uninjured. I had to protect him, from an animal? Wow, so dangerous. Kakashi didn't think the kid was ready, yet he still didn't bother to show up to even meet us. I was informed by the two so-called-announced-leaders.

It had to be _that_ kid. Of course, but at least he didn't say anything to me when I first met up with the others. He was smart enough to realize that I didn't have my mask on, and I was not acting like before, so he played it off as if we never met ever. That's a good thing. The others didn't need to figure anything out. I raised my eyes up to glance forward at the others.

They were walking in a line, well pretty close to a line anyway. All I had to do was pretend and get out of this intact, along with the others (especially Sai). _Great, just great, here's goes nothing._

. . . .

The mission was relatively easy. I didn't even know why I was so stressed about. It blew over with no problems. We just had to capture the creature, remove it from the village, and put it far away. No injuries other than a few scratches. They were minor, if we had any at all. I just couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. I went to the deep part of the water. It had been a long day. And a hot one. I was just trying to wash away the dirt.

I submerged most of my head, tilting it backward. It was somewhat refreshing, I guess. It would be better if I was alone, away from those two. My eyes drifted to gaze at Uchiha and Sai. I got out of the water by hoisting myself up on the rocks. Water dripped off my hair as I shook it dry, well drier. I barely heard Sai. "Why do you have a scar there?"

I yawned softly. "Hm?" I didn't care to engage in a conversation with the kid, especially about my scar. "Because I wanted it there," I rolled my eyes at Sai's questioning look. "It happened when I was younger, that's it." I stood up and put on my clothes with a glare toward the boy who went to speak again.

"Since when are you sensitive about it," I heard Uchiha's voice as I turned away. Most likely, he was raising a brow at my behavior. Truthfully, I didn't particularly care. I didn't even know where my scar came from, so why talk about it to other people? Exactly, they didn't even need to know.

I left them, but didn't go too far. I had to still watch over Sai. I fiddled with my forehead protector around my waist, as my mind drifted. I started with how Haruno was gaining too much attention. First, Sasuke, now Sai?

I'm not the greatest on that subject, but Sai seemed to have a thing for her. I could attempt to "like" Haruno when there was one person, but two? No, I draw the line there. All I needed was to locate someone else to pretend to like.

My eyes closed as I raked my brain for an eligible kunoichi. I initially thought about Ten Ten. She was amazing at using Ninja weapons, once again I mention it, so if I did choose her, I'd get more benefits.

However, the Hyuga had eyes for her. So she was out. I could not stand to try so much for nothing important. I grunted once, trying to find someone. Then, I paused. There was Hyuga's cousin (first name Hinata). That Hyuga was quietly there, caring, I suppose, but she didn't seem that interested in anyone, except as friends.

For some odd reason, my mind dropped the subject of fake "infatuation" and speed off to a new one. Red flashed into view. My eyes snapped open then. _Blood, was it?_ I closed my eyes again to let the image form. It flowed down, swaying some to show the paleness underneath. My brain turned off as the full picture came into view. It showed those pale green eyes.

It seemed as if I were staring directly at her. It showed her impassive face, suddenly it quirked up slightly. I would have blinked if my eyes weren't closed. I've heard stories about that girl. She'd murder you just because she could. She'd accomplish the murder easily and felt no remorse for anything. _Then, why... why didn't she kill me..? Hm._ It was perplexing to me.

I shrugged it off. Maybe she wasn't in the mood. I didn't realize that someone came up to me I was so deep in thought. It was Haruno, even before I opened my eyes I knew it was her. She greeted me, and I stared with a raised brow. I watched her smile up at me. "What is it, Sakura?" I managed to keep the exasperation out of my voice and even fake a grin.

Haruno started talking about something, which I pointedly ignored until I heard Sai's name. "... Sai's acting weird. I'm worried." She started.

I could have laughed. She actually cared for someone other than that Uchiha. What a surprise. Next thing that'll happen is that she'll be concerned about me.

She continued. "In your opinion, do you think he is..? And since you've known he was coming, I was wondering how." Her green eyes drifted to meet mine.

I shrugged a shoulder. "I guessed," I laughed like an idiot. Both the laugh and my response weren't true, but it seemed to satisfy her enough.

She nodded. "Oh-okay, thanks Naruto."

I didn't have a clue what she was thanking me for, maybe she suspected that my response would result in making me seem clueless like usual. There was familiarity again. Clueless Naruto was normal, the perceptive one, not so much.

. . . .

We presently walked toward the village (Konoha), still there was a feeling of being watched. I couldn't shake it. All the others didn't feel it, though. Haruno kept up a constant chatter with Sai responding every once in a while or Uchiha would make a noise. It continued until I sensed something coming at them. As if slow motion, I saw something sharp, and I darted forward.

With one palm perpendicular to the ground, something connected with it, and my other palm broke it in half in the exact moment. Silence filled the area after that for a few moments. 'Behind you,' I heard Kyuubi's voice for the first time that day. I whirled around as another thing flashed toward us from behind. _And I thought this mission was over._

I almost smirked.

 **. . .**

 **(Next chapter, some of Naruto's skills/ small fight scene.)**


	12. Chapter 11

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 11**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

With a fast sweep of my leg, the item in the air whipped back the way it came, a sound of an explosion resonated throughout the forest soon after. I glanced over my shoulder at the others, sensing many chakra signatures closing in on us. _Shoot._ I needed to get them out of here. "Follow me," I told them. At first they didn't do anything, except make a face at me.

Haruno was confused, obviously, and Uchiha was scowling at me. Sai was the only one to nod, which created an opportunity for Haruno to come with us. I glared at the older raven-haired boy and yanked him by his elbow as the others willingly traveled behind me. I kept looking back over my shoulder as we all ran until I saw an opening to venture in.

It was a dead end, but that's what I was hoping for. I basically threw Uchiha in with Haruno and Sai. I went in last, immediately creating strange (at least strange to everyone else) hand signs. Then, after that was finished, I slammed down my hands on the ground. I concentrated my chakra to flow into my fingertips, creating a bright red glow around my hands.

Quickly, my hands spread out as far as the rocks would allow and snapped them up. Red shimmered as it rushed up, and finally disappeared. I rested my knee on the ground, eyes focused at the opening in the "cave" we were in. Beside me, the Uchiha opened his mouth to speak, but I just raised up a hand as someone appeared next to our hiding spot.

I watched as the person stopped right in front of the hole and looked our way. The person paused for a few moments, and then, continued on his way past the hole. I waited numerous minutes before speaking. "You and your brother's 'friends' need to leave." I couldn't help, but narrow my eyes.

"Wh-Why didn't they see us?" Haruno's voice asked. She wanted me to answer, but now was not the time. We had to leave before they came back.

I stood slowly. "When I say run, you run as fast as you can. Understand?" My voice sounded lower than the usual Naruto voice, more like the one I fashioned with being Kurama. I decided to stare directly at each one of them to gauge their reactions.

Sai and Haruno nodded, while after a moments pause, Uchiha responded with his usual, "Hn." They were going to listen. _Good._ I exhaled and rested my hand over the home-made wall that I created.

It was to hide things from the outside, but allow the ones in the inside to watch everything without being detected. Eventually, people would find out, or notice it was up, especially if you had a sharingan or a byakugan, since the wall was created from my chakra. The red spread from where my palm touched it. It started to waver. "Run," was my command as it disappeared instantly.

Everyone took off, heading straight for Konoha, which seemed so close, yet so far away. I took up the back, running backwards as a kunai flew at me. I snatched it out of the air and threw it back with more force. I didn't bother to try to find out if it hit someone. My attention was focused on getting everyone back to the village. Then, I heard a yell. My head whipped to the sound and saw Sai on the ground with Haruno hovering over him.

I ended up beside them, lifting up Sai onto my back. "Keep going," I ordered her, which she obliged. She sped off with Uchiha and me directly behind her. My ear twitched, and I spun in the air to kick something away from us. This was not good for Sai's condition. Running was making him flop around a lot, but it couldn't be helped. It was more crucial that we escaped in one piece.

We started to near the village, only for a building in the village to erupt in flames and shatter apart. I made myself go ahead of the others, just in case. The ones were no longer behind us, but that meant nothing. "Uchiha, Haruno, locate Kakashi." It didn't matter now, since they already understood some of what I was hiding. They nodded and sped off.

With Sai still on my back, I went toward the explosion. Smoke filled the area with many screams. Bodies flew from one place or another in a frantic escape route. I set down Sai on the ground when I noticed the others (Kakashi, Uchiha, and Haruno) approaching. I ran into the midst of everything, swerving to miss multiple pieces of buildings. Jumping over a box, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something small standing still.

I ran and grabbed the kid just as an explosion erupted nearby. I moved the boy out of harms way. My eyes suddenly stung. Once again it felt like something was pooling in the back of my eyes. Far away, I distinguished, out of the smoke/dust, a recognizable figure. In a matter of seconds, I was in front of the person, arm creating a straight line up into the air.

Red flared from my fingertips and spread enough to develop a sort of reddened wall. A blast struck from the other side, resulting in me flipping backwards and having to roll up to my feet. Arm up, the red wall returned to deflect another blast. Kyuubi and I haven't really work on using chakra like this. In fact, we only started yesterday, so it was a surprise it actually worked.

Instantly, I rushed forward to the top of a collapsed building, surveying the scene. I stumbled ever so slightly, turning my head over my shoulder. _Why did I not let her handle it? She could have... probably not._ Her sand couldn't have withstand the full impact of that blast. If it did, it would have caused a severe injury. Her eyes rested on me until I swayed, tripping down the rumble.

I landed at her feet and stood with Naruto's grin on my face. I heard my name and looked for the sound. I noticed Team 7 walking over. I attempted to say, "Hey," but it came out as "Huu..." Then, I couldn't see, and I felt myself falling. I guess it took a lot more out of me than I realized.

. . . .

I awoke later on in a bed, sheets rustling as I rose to a sitting position. Upon opening my eyes, I froze. I didn't just freeze because I was in the hospital again, but a lot of eyes were on me. "H-Hey, guys," I choked out a laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. I faked a yawn. "Some mission, right guys?" They continued to stare. I promptly glared at them.

It was irritating to have their silent accusing stares constantly on me. I stood and stretched as I turned my back on them. I had to close my eyes. I absolutely despised hospitals. Finally, Kakashi's voice sighed, "Naruto." A hand rested on my shoulder, and I shrugged it off.

Before he could speak again, I went over to the window and looked outside at the village in shambles. "Akatsuki." I shook my head in anger as I gave a response to Kakashi's unspoken question. I didn't tell him that they were following me, but he had suspected something. I knew that for certain. And he didn't need to know who else was trying to capture me, either.

I ignored them as my eyes stared outside, hand on the window sill tightening somewhat. The heart of the village was pretty much destroyed. I watched the civilians salvage through the wreckage for anything worth saving or anything that was personal to them.

. . . .

We all found ourselves outside, assisting the other teams with cleaning up the destruction or aiding the non-shinobi people with finding loved ones. It was long, but it provided results. I just finished finding someone's pup for them, and they scurried off without as much as a thanks. I was used to it, so I brushed it off. For some reason, I felt a knot in my stomach moments after.

I didn't understand it, but that was before it all happened.

I jumped back to escape a sharp point of a moderate-sized shuriken. However, it caught the edge of my shirt and ripped through. My eyes narrowed as I whipped the shuriken away as I faced my opponent. I didn't even receive a moment to determine who was attacking, since the person lunged forward. I dodged, throwing the shuriken away so neither of us could use it.

I felt as if I encountered this person before. The height, the way they fought, their clothing, their _stance_. I leaped over the person, giving them an elbow to the back, and I kicked the person to their face. They scrambled to their feet, attacking with a kunai this time. My stomach lurched, causing on of my eyes to close. I'm not fully recovered from earlier, I've realized.

That won't stop me, though. I forced my hand to go right where the kunai was heading. The kunai went through my palm and came out the other side. The kunai and my hand stopped mere inches from inserting itself into my chest. I stared blankly at the person for a split second, and my other hand reached out and made the person's face smash off my knee.

The outcome was what I expected. The person immediately released the kunai and took a few steps back, hands at their head. Before they even noticed me approaching, I was already in front of the person. A quick shove had them on their backside. The person shook their head and gazed up at me in a somewhat daze. The mask they sported was cracked down the middle, but not enough to see the face.

I hesitated in removing the mask, staring at those eyes. Everything would change if I removed the mask, I could feel it. It was now or never. In one fluid motion, the mask was off, and the face was exposed. My breath hitched in my throat. _No... it can't be..._ My eyes widened as I took a few steps back. The blood that cascaded down the person's forehead really added to the effect. _No._ My head buzzed, as I refused to blink. _No. It couldn't be._ I didn't know how to react.

"Why?" My voice came out softer than I'd like. "Why'd you do it?" There was no response. I clenched my eyes closed and ran. I heard my name once again, but I continued to leave them behind. I kept running until no one was near me. I slumped against a tree. _Why didn't I listen to Kyuubi?_ He told me not to trust him, yet I did. Now I'm paying the price. I hugged my knees and buried my face in them as well.

My eyes started to sting, a somewhat familiar sting, only known from many years ago. I will not cry; it has been at least six years. _It doesn't matter. Let it go._ I gritted my teeth. No matter what I wanted, a tear rolled down my cheek. I hated the weakness I was showing. Out of all the asinine things I've done, this was one of the worst. It was such a shock-

No, it wasn't. Actually, it was quite predictable. I should have seen it coming, or did I just choose to go against the signs?

 _Why did he even pretend to care, then?_

* * *

 **(Thanks readers! You'll understand why Naruto's so upset over his attacker. He'll become more, for lack of a better word, bad ass as time goes on, so I hope you continue to read.)**


	13. Chapter 12

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. I'm posting two chapters, since I'm leaving for a little while, so I won't be allowed to write for a bit.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 12**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

It has been a few weeks after Umino was taken in. I just didn't want to believe that it was true. He attempted to kill me, after everything. I sighed as I trudged along. It sucked to even think about it, especially when I respected that man. Not anymore, that's for damn sure. I just walked with nothing else better to do. I continued as I neared the training grounds.

Usually, I'd just keep going past, but I decided to see what the team was doing. I saw them practicing with each other. Things flying this way and that, feet and hands going here and there. It was everyone against everyone. Uchiha kicked Haruno back and jumped out of Sai's reach, taking out his feet from underneath him after that. Haruno took the chance at punching him then.

It barely got Uchiha, managing to make him stumble a few steps back, though. Haruno really had some strength to her. A slight smirk rose to my face as Sai dodged Uchiha's attack and landed his own on Haruno, but ended up on his back from her foot. I watched as Kakashi observed the others sparring with one another, while his book was in his hand, but at his side.

I went to the left of him, arms crossing. "You think I can cut in?" Everyone stopped and looked toward me when my voice sounded. I whipped my bangs out of my eyes and gazed up at Kakashi. They were speechless, and surprised. I didn't need to refer to actually sensing their emotions. It was written on their faces. I haven't really participated in anything lately, so it was natural to be astounded.

Sai was the first to talk. "Hey dickless!" He came up to me with a small smile.

I nodded, glancing around at the others. I didn't even train with Kyuubi or Kakashi for the past weeks. I kind have missed it, somewhat. A hand went to my shoulder and squeezed slightly. "It's great for you to actually arrive, but you're extremely late." Kakashi's voice was teasing and light.

He was trying to go slow, but I didn't need- or want- it. I stared at him. "I'm going to train Sai on the side." Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise again. I added, "Since you were instructing me, I think that it would benefit him greatly."

Kakashi pondered my statements. Eventually, he gave a nod. "You may do so, however..." I waited silently. "You still need to attend mine." He gave an eye smile again when I agreed. He turned to the others. "Sasuke, I will also train you, and Sakura, Tsunade wants to help you, instead."

Haruno brightened, while Uchiha scowled at me. I flashed him a big smirk, my first real one in quite a while. "Hope that doesn't put too much pressure on the prodigy." He looked away from me, not before I saw his expression. It wasn't anger, far from it. It seemed to be relief. _Strange._ I rubbed a hand through my hair. I had been thinking of what to do now and realized that life would occur no matter what.

It only mattered that you were on board and make the best of it. I tilted my head at Uchiha. "No smart remarks?" I faked a sigh. "Maybe I was just imagining it." He didn't say anything. All he did was turn his head away. I stomped up to him and poked him in the chest. "Hey bastard! You deaf? I'm talking to you!" I yelled at him, faking my anger.

He seized my finger with a glare. "I am now."

I grinned Naruto's grin. "Good." I removed my finger from his grip and looked to Haruno, who seemed to be hovering around Sai. So it was true. She did like him more than Uchiha. I closed my eyes in a slow blink before they drifted to Kakashi. It was great to be back.

. . . .

The next few days went by without as much as a robber attempting to steal something from a civilian. It was, summed up in one word, peaceful. I already had practice with Team 7, Kakashi, and Sai, so I had nothing to really do. Plus, there was time until I fought with Kyuubi. I sat on top of a roof, just to enjoy the silence. My eyes fluttered closed as I listened.

It was too quiet, almost like the calm before the storm. A sound came from behind me, but I didn't react. It was only Kakashi's appearance that made the noise. Kakashi sat beside me. "What do you say to a real training exercise with the whole team?"

I blinked up at him. "What do you mean," I asked cautiously.

Kakashi chuckled as his eye stopped on my face. "Just be well rested." He stood up and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving me to wonder what the crazy man had in mind.

. . . .

I arrived at training relatively early in an attempt to discover what Kakashi had been blabbering about. Just my luck, everyone was already there, and another being was there. I eyed the person. "What is she doing here? I thought the Sand stopped communication with the Leaf."

"They did, but I pulled some strings to get your girlfriend here." Kakashi stated nonchalantly.

"Wh-what?" I sputtered. When more coherent sounds came from my mouth, I hoarsely whispered. "She's not my girlfriend, Kakashi."

Kakashi smirked at me and gave a shake of his head. _What was that gesture for_ , I questioned in my head. 'The Uchiha's right, you are an _idiot_.' Kyuubi commented. I glared at that.

"Alright, today, we will be working on weaponry. You cannot move from your spot, while you try to pierce through her defenses. Begin." He stepped back and actually paid attention. We were in a circle around Gaara.

 **(AN: Since Gaara is an unisex name, I'm leaving it.)**

We were evenly placed out, as we retrieved either a shuriken or a kunai. Uchiha had three shurikens in one hand, while the other had four kunais. Haruno only had one kunai, as she thought about how to accomplish the task at hand. Sai just stood there, head at a tilt, staring. I didn't know if he was thinking, waiting for someone else to attack, or didn't have a clue what to do.

I looked over Gaara, who just stood there motionless. No one moved, so I threw a shuriken that spun around her to the back of her head. Sand instantly covered her, stopping the shuriken. As if something broke in that instant, everyone attacked with their weapons, except for me. They weren't going to hit her like that. I closed my eyes to concentrate on her chakra better.

Almost like in slow motion, I saw her movement, well her sand's movement. It rose up, went around her for protection, then went to a different place to prevent something from hitting her. My eyes snapped open. "Got it!" I swung out my arm and chucked a kunai as hard as I could. Sand shot up, barely protecting her as her eyes widened some. I calculated the angles to hit her.

Shurikens and kunais filled both of my hands as I launched one after another. They came at her from every direction, resulting in her sand to explode all around. Then, when I released my last shuriken, I heard a noise erupt from her. I stopped moving as her sand gave way to her face. A red streak marked her cheek. It was only an inch or so, but it was there.

 _I did it. Wow._ I flashed a grin. It was half real. "Heck yeah!" I found myself upside down as I slipped onto my head. How? I don't know, don't ask me. I smirked up to my team, who happened to be hanging from the ground. My eyes traveled to Gaara, who watched her blood flow down to her chin. I reached my feet and went over. "Two to one." I teased her lightly.

Usually, only regular Naruto did something like that, but that was all my choice. I don't understand what compelled me to do that, but I put my right hand against my sword. "Rematch?" I was hopeful, until she just walked past me. Without a look back, she was gone, again. A sigh slipped out of my mouth.

I turned to notice how close Haruno and Sai were. "How'd you do that Naruto," asked Haruno, green eyes brightly shining. She gave the impression of being extremely eager and curious to find out the answer.

I shrugged as Sai stated. "I couldn't believe it hit, that last one."

"Isn't she supposed to be a cold-blooded killer?" Uchiha's voice commented, dark eyes studying me.

"That's what I heard," I started.

"You fought her multiple times." His slender eyebrow raised in question.

I didn't really know what he was trying to get at until Kakashi chuckled behind me. "She might have a _thing_ for our knuckle-headed blond."

Everyone seemed to understand him, while I blinked as I finally gathered it together. "I highly doubt that." Every single one of them had either a smile or a smirk on their face. "She hates me." I argued, causing laughter to erupt. Uchiha just shook his head. I exhaled slowly, eyes narrowed. She couldn't, she couldn't, it was impossible, but... No, all she did was glare or stare blankly at me like I was just a pest.

. . . .

I was still troubled when I left them. What they said was preposterous. I strolled by a group of people, only realizing too late that it was a team. It was, unfortunately, Guy and his team. "Naruto!" Two extremely loud voices chorused at once. My eye twitched when I turned to see not just Guy, but Lee as well. I made a face, which didn't perturb them at all.

At least I wasn't the only one to feel annoyed with their enthusiasm, since Ten Ten and the male Hyuga gave them a look. Guy beamed at me and pointed a thumb at himself. "Let's race around Konoha 500 times on our hands!"

"I will be faster than you, Naruto!" Lee yelled out.

I cringed. It was at times like this that I wanted to not have any heightened senses, especially hearing. "Well, I'll have to... reschedule for another time." Before they could object, I hurried off. Glancing back over my shoulder, I made sure that they didn't follow me. They weren't. I looked ahead, just as I ran into a building. Maybe, I should face forward more.

I rubbed my nose, scowling at the said object. If only I could blame it on the building, but I can't since it was inanimate, therefore it couldn't move on its own. I stopped when I saw the female Hyuga. Her face was a faint pink as her fingers tapped each other. "Na-Naruto, are y-you alright?" Her pale eyes were downcast, purposely missing eye contact with me, which was usual for her.

I nodded and falsely grinned. "Of course."

She bought it and nodded. "I'm-I'm glad." Her eyes finally met mine, and instantly, her face went bright red. It reminded me of Gaara's hair a bit. She glanced back to the ground.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" I asked her, tilting my head to try to see her eyes again. She was definitely different from the other Hyuga. She didn't like eye-contact, while her cousin would stare you down if he wanted to. I gave a thin (and forced) smile. "You're awfully red."

Her eyes widened, and she stammered. "I-I-I should be-be ask-asking you."

I raised a brow. "Why?" Even as I said that, I knew she was talking about Umino and I. I tried to shrug it off, but failed because my mouth went into a straight line, and I couldn't force it away. I went to leave, but tiny arms went around my waist. I froze. It was a foreign gesture to me. I squirmed immediately after her touch. I was used to people trying to hurt me, _not this_!

I struggled out of the hug and backed away. "I'm j-just fine, and you better believe it." I didn't even think I enjoyed hugs or other friendly gestures like that. A grin finally pushed itself onto my face. "But thanks for worrying, Hinata." I waved and rushed off. I went to my house, away from the craziness of the village. I told you the calm before the storm, and it was still going. The storm was only starting to condense.

I can't wait for it to be the full-blown thing. That's going to be great.

I rolled my eyes, shutting my door behind me.


	14. Chapter 13

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Thanks everyone for reading the story. Once again, I'll mention that I won't be able to write so a little while, a week or so. Therefore, I won't be able to post another chapter up for a little while.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 13**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I watched Sai attempt the exercise once again with the same results. Failure. I shook my head and stepped forward. "No, not like that. Like this..." I got into the stance again, but stopped. No matter how many times I demonstrate the action, he won't get it. I'll just have to think of something else. Eyes closed and arms crossed, I thought slowly. _Maybe he's better when actually sparring against someone_.

My eyes drifted over to our audience, who happened to be just Haruno today. I would have her fight Sai, but that was not a very favorable outcome. Neither of them would try too much. "Haruno, come here." I accidentally ordered her. "I mean, could you."

Haruno approached me. "Aren't you supposed to be training Sai?"

Her attitude was getting to me already. I made a short annoyed noise. "I am," I stated, " _trying_." A few hand signs created a clone of me, who sighed at me. "Haruno, attack the clone." Without much argument, she did as I told because she actually realized that this would help Sai. Her stance was off, or maybe I was the only one to notice. She got ready and lunged at the clone.

The clone twirled around her. "Almost." It told her, wiggling a finger at her. For some odd reason, my clones always had some sort of teasing issue, Naruto-like personalities, but I never understood why.

She darted at the clone, who just dodged with its arms crossed. It yawned and a smirk slid to its face. "That all you got? C'mon, you're not even trying!" It stepped back, got real low, and threw a soft punch to her jaw.

She let out a grunt and rubbed her chin. "You'll regret that, Naruto." She charged forward at the clone, who jumped back to evade her deadly punch.

"You paying attention, Sai?" I asked him. When he nodded, I grinned falsely. "Now follow the clones moves." I threw a punch at his head. It was slow, but it barely missed Sai. He was inexperienced, but he was getting there. I kicked out only to jump over him to land in a crouch, head tilted. Sai glanced over at the clone, who ran at Haruno, fist ready.

Sai imitated the motion, which I side-stepped and grabbed hold of his wrist, resulting in his eyes widening. He was probably dreading what I'd do to him now that I had his wrist. The first time I got his wrist, I threw him to the ground, rather harshly I'd admit. His arm was torn out of his socket basically, so now I vowed to not hurt the kid. I wasn't going to train him like I was.

"Not quick enough, don't swing in an arch, go straight to the destination. Ready?" I stepped away, completely left open, especially with my arms at my side. I wasn't going to move this time. I wanted to judge how good his hit was, or perhaps wasn't.

Sai did the same move. Instead of creating a long line, he went directly at my cheek. I almost moved out of the way, but I held still, long enough for the contact. Sai blinked when he hit me, immediately removing his hand. He was completely confused and surprised.

I tilted my head to the side and then moved it to the other side. His punch was harder than expected. _Hm._ Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Haruno standing stock-still. They were both silent and wide-eyed. They knew I had a temper, but I only gave him a curt nod. "Again, but put move effort into it." Sai hesitated for a second, but stepped back to perform the same move.

He anticipated in hitting me again, but when he didn't, he stared at me.

"I didn't say I'd let you land another." I dodged another attack, jumping from foot to foot. Sai went to look at the clone, finally realizing he was on his own. The clone was gone, leaving Haruno alone. I cleared my throat for his attention. "Put some of yourself in it," I couldn't hide a smirk. I had taken that out of a book. I just don't remember what it was called, or what it was about for that matter.

Sai pondered on my previous statement, determining what to do, it seemed. He rushed forward, rather lazy-like. I disappeared to materialize behind him. "What. Was. That?" I glared at him.

Sai stammered. "I-uh-uhm-I-"

"That was pathetic!" I growled lowly. He knew better than be _that_ slow. His eyes widened for probably the twentieth time since we started, which hadn't even been an hour. I rubbed my temples. I shouldn't be so angry at him, but I couldn't control it right now. I exhaled loudly. "Okay, okay, it was just a slip up. Now, for real this time, or I'll cancel this practice." I threatened him.

Sai got real serious, much more serious than I've ever seen him before. He got into what I gained was his own fighting stance. He was really going for it this time. Before I knew it, something connected with my forehead, sending me stumbling back a step. Sai continued his attack, even jumping up for an attempt to aim for my head another time. However, I was ready, and I ducked underneath it to end up behind him.

Immediately he whirled around to face me, hands ready. I darted at him, not to attack yet, but to observe his reaction. Sai decided to come directly at me, reaching forward. I easily moved out of the way, realizing Sai's hand had brushed my sword in the process. His lip curled upward in a slightly triumphant smile as I pushed the sword back to its original position. He leaped forward at me, shoulder hitting me in the arm.

I wasn't trying my hardest, but perhaps I should have tried more, since Sai now had my sword. Sai twirled it as I have done numerous times. He was pretty good with weapons, actually. He ran at me with the sword aimed at me. I twirled around the blade, grabbed the hilt, and removed it from his grip. Sai ended up tackling me to the ground.

I was up on my feet, while he was scrambling up to his feet with a soft laugh. I couldn't help, but flash him one of my rare, slightly real smiles. "Good. You can almost go up against Akamaru soon."

It didn't take him long to stare at me. "You mean the dog?"

"Well, aren't you smart," I tapped him with the flat side of my sword on his forehead. That rewarded me with a small glare from the boy. A slow clap sounded in the field, and it was approaching. We all turned to see Uchiha and Kakashi coming over. They had just finished their own training.

Kakashi gave his famous eye smile to Sai. "Nice job-"

"He's progressing a lot more than anyone ever predicted." I told him with a fake grin, which almost everyone suspected to be real. In other words, the stunning Naruto Grin it was known as.

. . . .

Everyone was back in their houses, except for Kakashi and I. I needed to ask him something. "Hey Kakashi," I started out calmly. _Why did I have to ask him anyway? I always did it on my own._ Oh, yeah, he wanted to make sure I'd be "safe." He turned to me, and before I said anything, I saw something. Red and pale green. Gaara. I thought she wasn't supposed to-

Kakashi chuckled, which I barely registered.

I eyed him. I was serious before, but now I was slightly irritated. "What are you-"

"Go ask her for ramen," and with that he disappeared.

I sighed angrily. Why should I? Kyuubi wanted to go on a mission today, but... I smirked. It was an order, so technically it was a mission. Kyuubi was going to be pissed. I was blowing him off for Shukaku, in Kyuubi's words, "that damn two-tailed bitch." I walked the way I've seen Gaara go, only to find out she was behind me. _How'd she get there?_

Her eyes were narrowed at me. "Following me?"

"Yeah." At that, she was surprised, which I only knew from sensing her feelings, other than that, I wouldn't have been able to tell. "I wanted to ask you something." I paused, completely oblivious to how to ask her. One could not simply walk up to Gaara of the Sand and ask such a question. If you did, she'd most likely murder you on the spot. Instead, I flashed the all time Naruto grin.

"So, Gaara, how've you been?"


	15. Chapter 14

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Hey readers, I'm back for a bit. Here's another chapter!)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 14**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

It was actually pretty easy to talk to her. It wasn't like she had much to say, though. We only went to Ichiraku's for ramen. I kept up my persona throughout the meal with a constant conversation, talking about Suna. I've only been there on a few Anbu missions, not long enough to actually look around though. I especially remembered the heat and Kyuubi's complaining about all the sand everywhere.

It wasn't that bad, but Kyuubi hated it for some reason. He made sure I always left right after I finished the mission. He'd make me travel back to Konoha no matter what the weather or time. Any other place, however, he allowed me to linger in, all but Suna. I chanced a look over at Gaara for the first time since she agreed- well that wasn't the correct word, more like pulled over - to join me.

She was gazing at her bowl, which was not even half way empty, while mine was gone. She was extremely quiet, even more so than the Uchiha. I tried to sense her emotions only to jump back as she whipped her glare in my direction.

"I- heh- I was..." I stammered slightly. Her cold eyes stayed on my face. "So..? Wanna see something?!" I grabbed her wrist, half surprised that she didn't tear my arm with her hand (or her glower). I led her off, pausing at the side of a building. "Can you keep up?" I grinned falsely, walking up the side to the top, and I glanced down at her. Fact is that I didn't know what else to do, and this was the only idea I had.

I didn't particularly socialize with others, main reason Kyuubi, and I wasn't exactly positive on how to do so. I made myself pout at her. "You're no fun." I walked away from the edge.

'Not sure why you're even trying, you'll never have friends you know,' Kyuubi's voice stated in my head. My feet rooted themselves to the roof. Kyuubi sighed in my head this time. 'It's not just me either.' He added.

It was my turn to sigh and gaze at the ground at my sandals, hands clenched slowly. _Was he right?_ I shook my head. It was a long shot anyway. I started to form a hand sign, but automatically ceased the action. I sensed Gaara behind me. I blinked at her. "You came up?" I questioned, astonished.

"Clearly." She stated, arms crossed over her chest. Short and to the point. I gave her a fake grin. "I hope this isn't what you were going to show me."

"No, close your eyes." I approached her. A surge of suspicion shot from her. I held up my hands with the Naruto grin on my face. "It's a surprise, you can't see it yet." She eyed me, causing me to stop walking and the fake grin to slip off my face. A few moments of awkward silence expanded from our spot on the roof. I sighed. "It's not like you can't defend yourself." I pointed out to her.

She really was stubborn and quite dubious. I almost told her to forget it and to leave her in favor of the mission Kyuubi wanted, but my resolve weakened when she blinked her eyes closed, but didn't open them. I couldn't hide the full-blown smile that crept onto my face, gently putting a hand to her shoulder. "I'm just moving you to the other side." I assured her.

I propelled her toward the edge of the building. "Go ahead." I crouched down beside her and gazed fixedly at the view I've shown her. I knew Gaara had opened her eyes because some emotion hit the surface, but disappeared just as quick. The view was on Konoha with some of the lights from below shinning and a sunset from behind it.

She must have been semi-comfortable since she actually sat down without a word and watched the sun. I didn't move from my position. I was _not_ relaxed for some reason. I felt her eyes, so I slipped to my backside, holding my knees loosely.

Kyuubi took the opportunity to speak again. 'Why are you wasting your time? Go do a mission when you're still young.' He was getting impatient, it seemed. He continued to tell me to get up or I'd pay. I tuned out his voice until it was a mere whisper, which wasn't the best idea, but it gave me some quiet. Something a bit foreign hit me suddenly. My eyes shot open to observe the reason for it.

It was Gaara's emotion. It was directed at me, whatever the feeling was. It reminded me of what Umino reacted to me once. It was worry, perhaps? The anxiety dissolved away when I faked a grin at her. "I'm getting a little tired, maybe I should get going huh?"

'Finally.' Kyuubi huffed.

Gaara reached her feet as I did the same.

"It was a pleasure," I raised a hand for a pathetic excuse for a wave. I went to leave, but she caught me off guard.

"Naruto."

I turned to her. What did she want? "Yeah?" She didn't respond. I took the time to look her over since both her emotions and her face gave nothing away. The last of the sun slipped out of view from behind her. The lights eliminated from below, and I found something stuck in my throat. Her red hair, her pale eyes. My hands started to, oddly, sweat, and my chest hurt a bit.

Her nonexistent eyebrow raised slowly at my silence. On anyone else, I noticed, it would have looked ridiculous, but she pulled it off. Down below the sounds seemed quieter and farther away.

 _What, what's happening?_ I was so clueless. I stepped closer subconsciously. I didn't know what my body was doing, but it continued forward without my consent. I found myself leaning in. I finally realized what I was doing, but it was pointless to back out now. It was what I've seen couples do or parents do. I'm pretty sure it was called a... kiss? I almost made contact when my foot slipped.

I toppled into her cheek, my face sliding all the way off her face, until my mouth landed on the ground. I jumped up into a sitting position. I had just kissed the ground... after I attempted to do so with her. My eyes widened at the realization. _Oh kami, and Kyuubi..._

He was laughing. He would have told me how pitiful I was or some other derogatory remark, but he was laughing too hard to voice his opinion at the moment. My face heated up, right hand scratching at my cheek, which had slid across Gaara's. I wish the warmth would abandon me right now, especially when I peered up at Gaara it only gained more intensity.

 _Oh man, I definitely screwed up._


	16. Chapter 15

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 15**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

Right after a few moments of Gaara's silence, along with various emotions (mainly mine, most likely), I leaped to my feet and backed up, hands up. "I was- I just trip-" As if I said the magic word, my heel hit the side of the roof, and I toppled over the edge. The ground rushed at me, and I reacted by forming the signs to allow me to disappear and reappear unharmed on my feet.

I didn't look back. Instead, I ran.

. . . .

I had on my mask, presently. Kyuubi had wanted a mission, so here I was, trying to find something to keep me busy for a few hours. Basically, I was monitoring the outskirts of Konoha for possible threats. It was not very complicated, actually relatively easy, but I couldn't travel right at the moment, since the Team had an early practice tomorrow. I walked through the brush without making much noise.

I could have been absolutely silent, but tonight was just one of those nights. My ears picked up a far away sound, and I approached it. I had a strange feeling again, which caused me to stop and tilt my head as my hearing took over. There was only silence. _Hm, it's too quiet._ I cautiously crept across the ground, on my toes, literally, to prevent any noise.

I reached a small clearly and something was in the middle of it. It was a box, I noticed. I went forward with a hand on my sword just in case. It was suspicious to discard a random box in the middle of nowhere. I slowly unsheathed my sword and poked the box once. I knew it was just a regular box with nothing inside it, but it didn't hurt to seem concentrated on the box when people were clearly nearby.

I could sense them, and if I played my cards right, I could find out who they were and eliminate at least one of them. Then, I realized that they were familiar chakras. It was the Akatsuki again. I smirked behind my mask, kneeling in front of the box. _Wait for it._ Something flashed in my direction, and I side-stepped it easily, even having time to catch the offending object.

They knew by now that I wasn't as dumb as I played myself out to be, but they couldn't grasp that I was far smarter than most of them. I slipped out ten or so shurikens inconspicuously, did a back flip out of the way of another object, and the shurikens exploded from my hands. I laughed, a mix of Naruto's laugh and a slightly more maniacal chuckle.

It was fake, but it was entertaining to accomplish. _If only I could see their faces, oh well._ For being an elite organization, they were pretty terrible. They didn't even notice that I had created a clone before their arrival, and it was studying them from behind. The clone narrowed its eyes, and I could see it watching someone. For some reason, the clone rushed forward and landed a punch to one of the member's back.

I smirked and swung my free hand at my hip. "Is the real fight about to begin," both my clone and I asked simultaneously. I hoped so, and clearly the clone did as well since it jumped from one foot to another.

"C'mon I haven't got all night!" The clone exclaimed in slight irritation. "I do have a life, guys."

I decided to saunter toward the one the clone had successfully landed the attack on. It was a man with an orange mask. I glanced down at the man still on the ground. Suddenly, the body got to his feet and... giggled at me..? "Hi! Did you know Tobi's going to capture you for the Akatsuki?"

 _Tobi, huh._ I shook my head. The others had just left that guy here not even a second ago. He probably didn't get the memo to leave, so I chuckled falsely. "Sounds great." I replied monotonously as I turned away and the clone dispersed. Maybe this guy was actually good, who knows. I heard "Tobi's" movements as he went for me. I ducked underneath his hand, effectively stepping sideways and out to avoid a collision.

Tobi stepped forward to attack again, resulting in me stepping back again. I had my hands in my pockets as I dodged another fist. Tobi suddenly disappeared from view as he chucked something toward me. I immediately understood what it was and dove for the ground. The explosive tag, well, exploded directly above my head, what else would it have done.

When the smoke had cleared and I reached my feet, I dusted off my pants. 'That's great, you let them get away again,' Kyuubi grumbled within me somewhere. _Don't worry they'll be back._ Once again a smirk split my face that night. Kyuubi said something, but I wasn't listening. Instead, my eyes traveled to the box that now had a piece of paper. After I read it, I had to reread it once more.

From behind me I felt someone nearing my spot. It was... _oh shit, Kakashi._ He specifically instructed me to clarify when I would leave for a mission and when I did return after that. That's what I was trying to question him about earlier before he rudely interrupted. I faced the direction he was in and glared as he broke through the trees. "It's your fault," I stuck out my tongue childishly.

This was getting irritating. This lie sucked, why didn't I pick some sort of personality with something smart, not this kid. "You're the one that sent me with Gaara and completely ruined my night, thanks." I told him in the loud voice, mask disappearing to convey the annoyance on my face.

"Oh?" He acted surprised, but his emotions told me otherwise. He was amused. "Not from what I witnessed."

My mouth gaped open some. "You were spying on me." I growled low, definitely rattling the Jonin a bit, even if I only realized from tuning into what he was feeling. I clenched my fists. This was the first time I showed any real distaste for his actions outwardly.

"It was much more... entertaining than this book." His voice stated as the referred book escaped his pocket and was opened to a creased page.

I turned away. "Sure it was." I glanced down at the paper in my hand. "Well if you excuse me, I need to have a word with the Hokage." Usually I didn't call her that in sake of my persona, but it was only Kakashi anyway.

"That's a bad idea." His eyes were on my back, I could feel it. "She's not in a great mood-"

"Doesn't matter. It's more important than her 'mood.'" I walked off toward the Tower. I was silent until Kakashi took the paper from me. I rolled my eyes. Everyone was nosy. Judging by his emotions reacting, he had perused the writing. We were now nearing the tower, and I rushed up the stairs with Kakashi right on my heels. The door was open, so all I had to do was go right in.

However, Kakashi blocked my path, resulting in me stopping. I gave him a look that suggested he should move out of the way. I didn't have a clue why he was in my way. It was about Konoha for peat's sake. Kakashi put a hand on my head and just chuckled when I shoved it away. "Maybe you shouldn't go in there, since why would you have been out there in the first place?"

He did have a point, but I had an idea. "I was with you of course. Extra training."

Kakashi sighed after that. _She'd believe it, if we actually sell it,_ I wanted to comment. I decided to take the paper and start down the hall. "Then, we found this on a tree." I added. I could have kept going, but we were already in the doorway.

. . . .

"Grandma Tsunade! Oi, grandma!" I darted in, bouncing up and down. "Someone left this! On a tree-" I waved the paper at her.

She tried retrieving it, but I waved it the other way just to tick her off. "Naruto, stop fooling around," she huffed when she finally got a hold of the paper. She looked at the (now crinkled) paper. Her eyes widened at the news the paper supplied.

"I have suspicion that it was the Akatsuki once more."

"Yes, but why now," she murmured under her breath.

"Wait, _once more_?! What do you mean?" I asked loudly, exaggerating with my arms flailing around. No one answered. "What do you mean," I repeated until Tsunade narrowed her eyes at me.

"Leave," she ordered. "This is no concern of you at the moment."

I blinked. It totally was. It was about the Akatsuki's incoming attack. I slammed my hands on her desk when she glanced at the paper. "No, I deserve to know."

She said something along the lines of 'no, you don't deserve to know, especially with earlier events to go on.'

I instantly growled. "All I want to know is when?" I leaned forward, toward Tsunade to glare. It was sort of a habit from Anbu.

"The answer was no. Now leave, and act your age." She was surprisingly calm, usually I was the calm one in front of her (in a mask), and she was the hothead.

 _No._ Damn I hate that. I snapped. "Do you even know my age? I'm fricken eleven not thirteen or twelve! Did you even care enough to check, no, you guys didn't. How could you even forget the year that the Nine Tails attacked-" I wanted to continue to tell them that the only ones that remembered my exact age were the ones counting the days, even the seconds, that I was still alive. Others were waiting to murder me to start counting the days _from_ my death.

"Enough!" Now it was her turn to smash down her hands on her desk and abruptly stand in one motion. "I told you to leave, and I cannot talk to you when you're like this."

"Fine." I growled at her, glaring both of the adults in the room down. Kakashi's dark eyes flickered down to my hands still pressed against the wooden surface. I saw what his eyes were staring at. There were two palm-shaped black marks where my hands had been.

I snapped my hands up and stomped out the door.

* * *

 **(Next Chapter: More information on Naruto being Kurama from Kakashi.)**


	17. Chapter 16

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 16**

 ***Kakashi POV***

 **. . .**

I couldn't believe Naruto was eleven. He was right; that we shouldn't have forgot that incident many- no eleven- years ago. Eleven, wow, and I suspected him to be thirteen like the rest of them. Kurama presented himself at fourteen, and he has been in Anbu for four years. Technically, Naruto was seven when he joined. Now that's mind blowing. I knew he was pretty good to become Anbu when he was nine, but seven?

I somewhat understood his reasoning to hide his true age, though, even if it didn't matter (at least in Anbu). The age wouldn't draw too much attention, just the right amount. My mind drifted to the darkened marks on the Hokage's desk. That was another event that rose questions. The wood was burned straight through almost. My brows creased as I thought.

I looked around. Now I remembered partially why I was usually late for the Team's training. Naruto was still no where in sight. _Three hours late._ I sighed, pretending to look at the page in my book, but I found it unappealing at the moment. _Three and a half hours late._ When I finally looked up, I glimpsed the clothing of gray of Naruto's "new" outfit he favored instead of the orange disaster.

I raised a hand. "Yo," I greeted him from afar. When his eyes located me, he didn't hurry one bit. He took his sweet time. When his eyes found me though, they seemed to burn holes in my own visible one. "Great for you to join us." I waited for his response, but he just glared. Training was extremely silent with Naruto's determination to give everyone the silent treatment and scare Sai hallway to death multiple times.

We went to get ramen, and I said I'd pay, which everyone (Sakura and Sai) gave a small cheer for, and Sasuke's lip quirked up a bit at my announcement, but Naruto didn't react at all. He just walked behind the others, and when I glanced back, I saw him glowering at the ground. I drifted back to his position, yet he was uncommunicative with me still.

"What did the ground do to you?" I smirked over at him, but he didn't even glance up at me. At least now I could study him. All of my teasing was left behind as I noticed Naruto's strange walking. He seemed to be limping, perhaps? I also noticed his clear exhaustion. A warning came in my head. He shouldn't have been that tired from last night.

It was as if he experienced many sleepless nights. I subconsciously narrowed my eyes in concentration. I've been doing this too much lately. Naruto may be the one that I least knew about, but he was definitely a big puzzle piece, especially when he has taken in Sai. From both observation and knowledge, I knew Naruto- and Kurama- weren't all that focused on working with another person.

Naruto was more lenient than Kurama, but Kurama worked alone on any mission unless he didn't believe it could be accomplished with only one person. However, that was very rare to find Kurama with others. If he was with other Anbu, however, he was the leader. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He wouldn't hesitate to knock them down a few pegs.

I started to compare their personalities before, but I could never sort it out. Both Naruto's "normal," if it was his normal one, and Kurama's personalities were only similar in determination and anger problems. Naruto was the happy-go-lucky loudmouth bundle of joy, while Kurama was more serious and a bit cocky at times. Naruto was also not a leader figure with his frequent outbursts of anger or his quick leaps into action.

Kurama obtained a much more quieter anger than Naruto, and he always calculated things in his head before doing anything. Kurama didn't console anyone because he was rarely seen talking along the others, while Naruto would wave at any stranger and attempt a conversation. They were unique personalities, practically separate people, but it was Naruto all the way through, especially when you saw the eyes.

Kurama normally had red eyes and those slits for pupils, but every once in a while when someone caught him actually relaxed or in a "good mood," they could see the red become blue, but that was rare. The blue perfectly corresponded with Naruto's original color.

Once, I had a mission with the brat (I called Kurama brat, since he seemed like one), only because Tsunade wanted a more experienced (less injured) shinobi than any of the Anbu members.

Kurama was silent, arms crossed even if our mission strictly said for caution. He just walked on, not even bothering to look around or even keep low. It was a longer mission, so I had to make the Team's practice a little later, or at least make it there later. We had to camp for the night, and he specifically made a fire even if I mentioned that it was dangerous.

I found it funny that he had both a mask on and paint at the time. I could only tell he wore the paint because he had to fix his mask once, and I caught a glimpse of it from the side. I went as far as to ask him about it. That received me a very cold stare and no reply. The kid was a mystery, even more so than Naruto. He'd get a mission, finish it, and leave without a trace.

Now I understood why Kurama didn't punch me in the face during the mission, even if it was evident that he was quite annoyed with me. It was Naruto all along. The others just thought that I was respectful to him when I came back unharmed. Everyone else had at least one visible bruise at first until they realized that they must remain on Kurama's good side to prevent any injury.

After our mission, I only had a few hours to sleep, and now that I recall the events, Naruto was dead beat tired that day, almost as if he got no sleep at all. Who knows, maybe he didn't. Other than being tired, he showed nothing about the events that occurred only the night before and early that morning. Naruto and Kurama were the same person; when I discovered that, I made sure to demand to see any missions he was going on.

The truth is that the kid shouldn't be alone on any mission, especially when I just found out his true age. It wasn't his calm and resolute demeanor against Naruto's rambunctious behavior. It was the fact that it was the Fourth's son, and that he was just a kid still. He didn't deserve to be ignored or left alone that much. He also shouldn't be taking most of the missions he did. He did them too often, and they were the most dangerous ones that even no one in Anbu wanted to attempt them.

I let out a small sigh to examine Naruto again, but I saw him scowling at me. I raised my uncovered eyebrow at him, which caused his features to darken more. He seemed a bit more like Kurama at the moment, but it quickly disappeared. A realization hit me. Kurama and "Naruto" were basically opposites, but only one was the true Naruto. I just didn't know which one.

He stuck out his tongue at me. "Baka." He then darted past the others, purposely shoving Sasuke out of his way. Effectively, it seemed, Naruto made Sasuke chase him. I could have chuckled at the spectacle, but decided against it. The two had ended up fighting each other again. Sasuke had Naruto pinned to the ground as he squirmed. "Hey teme, get off!" He huffed out, face red from probably anger.

Sasuke just smirked, but before he could pummel the "bad-fighting"-secretly-good Naruto ( _slightly confusing even I'll admit_ ), another person jumped on him. Sai had jumped on them and declared himself the winner. Naruto hollered something, but I was beyond listening to their bickering and watching the scene with Sakura just shaking her head at them.

I didn't understand them, even if I pretended to do so. _Just like you Naruto, fooling everyone._ I shook my head.

. . . .

We all ate, and everything seemed to be what people would consider normal until Naruto started to intensely glare at his untouched meal. The glare made Sai freeze and stare. It was possible that Naruto had traumatized Sai with that glare during their training.

"What's with you kid?" I asked, calmly, despite the bone-chilling glower directed at me.

"You know exactly why I'm infuriated with you," he glanced down at his bowl, bangs shielding his face as something rumbled low in his throat. "I wish to address you about that _problem_." He was using Kurama's voice again, but this time it was almost like he was Kurama right now. Kurama had a strange way of talking when he got quite pissed off.

I hoped he didn't take out his anger on anyone in the village. I placed down the money to pay for the meal. "If it matters that much." Naruto gave me a stiff nod, and he followed after I gave my farewell to the rest of the team and walked off. After we were a safe distance away, I stopped and leaned back a bit with a hand in my pocket. "Go ahead."

Naruto crossed his arms, oddly silent. It was the silent that made you feel dreadful, like you did something terrible and deserved such treatment. He played this card as Kurama many times. The silence would stretch until it became unbearable and create a longing to spill everything. Kurama always got what he wanted, usually not even to have to say a word or threaten anyone.

However, this was Naruto. My student would not cause me to fall apart. I raised an impatient brow at him as he spoke. "When was it?" He questioned, arms going to his sides. "I think you owe me that."

I know that the village owed them their lives. Many times he had saved them, but that didn't matter. Instead of giving him an answer, I stated. "I don't owe you anything, since I have no idea who you are exactly."

Naruto's eyes narrowed instantly, but after a few seconds, his face became a mask over his emotions. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I always will be." I've never seen his face like that. It was completely blank. "I just want to know when; it wouldn't hurt," he added softly.

I felt compelled to answer him truthfully. I was so close, but I needed to know why. I voiced my own question, which caused the boy to stare at me. I felt like something was driving him to behave like this. The Akatsuki had something to do with this, whatever was wrong with the boy. I wanted to know what, and I felt it my job to make sure it didn't occur again.

"They did target Sakura, Sai, the bastard, and I the other day," was his response.

There was something else; I could sense it. I decided that he would warm up to me eventually if I didn't push him too far. "Around four years ago."

He blinked. "What?"

I repeated myself.

Something in his eyes flashed, recognition maybe. He nodded, murmured a rushed "thanks," and left quickly. Something was up, once again, with Naruto. Then I realized that Naruto had just played me. Naruto had gotten what he wanted with minimal effort.

 _Damn._

I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. The information he received wasn't that important, but it was nonetheless information on both the organization and Konoha. He now knew that four years ago the Akatsuki had sent a threat to Konoha for whatever reason, which none of the shinobi or civilians knew about. Knowing Naruto/ Kurama's ways, I absolutely could say that he'd find out what happened exactly.

I just hope he isn't on their side, that's all. If he was, Konoha may have just been betrayed by one of their own. I highly doubt he'd do such a thing, but it was always a possibility. Plus, sometimes emotions weren't the greatest to fall back on. An image of my previous team struck me.

Maybe Iruka had known Naruto's betrayal; maybe he tried to end him while he was wounded. OR. He could have wanted to murder Naruto because of the Nine Tails. That was disgustingly unjustified. He couldn't control what happened when he was so young. There was another reason for Iruka's attack. Perhaps he was forced to do so? I didn't know if I believed that.

 _Who would have forced him, and what was caused to make Iruka go after Naruto?_ It didn't make only plausible reason would be... I didn't understand where my mind was heading toward...

Iruka had some sort of grudge or something that involved Naruto, maybe?

* * *

 **(Next Chapter: Gaara shows up again.)**


	18. Chapter 17

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 17**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

Weeks have passed, and every once in a while Gaara and the other Sand Siblings paid a visit to the Leaf, sometimes for a mission, or sometimes just to end up doing something. When Gaara arrives and she isn't busy, I hang out with her, (or bother her in other words), when I have time as well. I couldn't believe what I was thinking trying to pull a stunt like that last time- oh wait, I wasn't.

Well, being "friends" with at least someone was better than nothing. At least I could talk to her about anything, and she would glare too much at me like Uchiha always did whenever I even threw a glance over his way. Gaara would also pretend to listen. I told her about Umino and how he tried to assassinate me. For some reason, she grew angry at that, perhaps because he didn't succeed..?

I don't know... If only I could fly. That'll be great. I could leave this place whenever I wanted, and no one else could follow. I'm almost there, in learning to fly. I can levitate, not good, but I'll execute it until I can fly. Someday.

However, with Gaara, I felt more like myself than with anyone else, so the temptation to abandon the ground in favor for the sky wasn't too great. Since she wouldn't tell anyone anything I've told her, I "trusted" her (within reason, of course). She didn't say anything because she didn't really talk, clearly.

The most I've heard her say was fifteen syllables, if that, in one sentence. And that was rare.

. . . .

Presently, Gaara and I were laying in the middle of a training field. I haven't gotten up to trying to spar with her just yet. I gazed over at her, which showed me that she had her eyes closed. I smirked, searching the ground for something to poke her in the forehead with. All I could find within reach was a dead flower. I shrugged as I placed it right between her eyes.

At first she didn't move, but then her pale green eyes fluttered open to glance at me. I chuckled falsely. Even if I displayed more of my original personality and not Naruto's, I wasn't going to show her all of it. I stuck out my tongue when she looked away. "Whatcha doing, Gaara?" I poked her forehead once. "Wanna spar? Huh, since you're not doing anything at the moment?"

"No."

I forced a pout to my face. "Why not," I whined.

"Because I don't have to."

I face planted on the ground, now laying on my stomach. "So?" My muffled voice asked her. She didn't say anything, which resulted in me sighing loudly. I wondered why I tried to be friends with people, when I never referred to them at all. I never had time to really do anything, such as free time that didn't involve training or eating. When I did, I couldn't enjoy myself.

In fact, the only thing that came to mind as fun was my nighttime missions as Kurama. I loved to pick the missions no one else would even dream of looking into, let alone accomplish the deed in one piece. I lifted my head to stare at Gaara, who was now sitting up. _I wonder what it would be like to fight her when she was at her full potential._ I let my head flop back to the ground.

I'm starting to think I have a problem, or quite a few problems that revolved around training and constant fighting. I wanted to get better, yet there wasn't anyone that helped me push myself except for Kyuubi, but he didn't count. Also, I couldn't go even an hour without moving or honing my skills or doing some type of everlasting activity. All in all, I couldn't sit still to save my life.

"Stand." Gaara's voice came from above me.

 _Oh yeah!_ I jumped to my feet with a false grin. It deteriorated instantly when I noticed Gaara walking away. Guess her answer had been sound. She wasn't going to spar. I followed after her anyways, admittedly sulking somewhat. I hurried up to her only when she turned in wait for me. "What are we doing?" I asked, holding onto the inside of my elbows.

Once again, no answer. After awhile of continuous walking, I started to talk again. I kept on blabbering until I asked a serious question. "Hey, Gaara, do you have any dreams for the future?"

She didn't respond, and I frowned; it was true, since she probably didn't think to what she wanted, just what the villagers thought of her.

"I want to be Hokage." I told her, and it was the full truth. I wanted people to notice me, as well as matter to them, but I always shoved that dream down. It most likely wouldn't wind up that way for numerous reasons.

At my proclamation, Gaara nodded her head once and kept pace alongside me.

 **. . . .**

 ***Gaara POV* -changed!-**

I decided to get something to drink because it would quiet Naruto for a little bit. After we got the drinks, Naruto paid for them with his annoyingly fake grin. That's all his expression was. It was fooling everyone, but me. Every once in a while I could see a glimpse of something truly genuine, though. I watched his forced good mood grow more forced as we passed by some of the villagers.

The villagers were of that of a mere young child and his parents. The parents were whispering something that I couldn't understand. Both of the parents' eyes flickered to Naruto then to me. I immediately narrowed my eyes at them, while I crossed my arms. That caused them to scramble away. I didn't take this at Suna, so I was definitely not taking it from Konoha.

Naruto started talking about the unimportant topic about the weather. He said something about it being nice today. Then, he asked about Suna's weather. I didn't bother to answer. It was obviously hot and dry; it was in the middle of the desert for one. It rarely rained, and if it did, it evaporated even before it could hit the ground. I walked ahead of Naruto.

For being so rambunctious when he attempted to fight me the first day, he was quite submissive, at least in my presence. I have no clue why, since he could easily take me out, and yes, I willingly admitted it. He was quicker and stronger than he looked, and he seemed smarter than what he portrayed himself to be on a daily basis. I remained silent as his voice droned on and on.

He always became more talkative when we were around others, for some reason. Suddenly, he laughed loudly. "Gaara, Gaara, look!" He grabbed my arm and turned me around to observe whatever he was yelling about. "It's Konohamaru and his _Ninja Squad_ ," Naruto snickered after that, hands still on my shoulders. I didn't necessarily enjoy our close proximity.

Naruto beamed his fake grin up at me, since he was looking over my shoulder, and finally seemed to realize that he was too close. He snapped back his hands with a sheepish smile. "Naruto, is she your girlfriend?" asked a light voice from behind us.

When I turned, I saw the group of kids that Naruto mentioned previously. Naruto blinked and laughed. "Nah, just a friend-"

The boy with spiky brown hair and a long blue scarf made a face at him. "It doesn't look like it." He drew out his cheeks in frustration with the original voice that spoke before. "She's too pretty for you, anyways."

"Konohamaru!" Naruto gasped, while the kid with orange hair shook her head at _Konohamaru_. Naruto grabbed hold of Konohamaru's collar with a glare. "What do you mean by that, kid?"

Konohamaru made another face at him.

"If you wanted to meet her, all you had to do was ask." Naruto dropped him to his feet with a short chuckle.

. . .

Nothing much happened after that, which was probably safe for them. Otherwise, they might have ended up on the side of a building or splattered along the street. Fortunately for them, as well, Naruto seemed to care enough for them, and I was just finishing a so-called mission with Kankuro and Temari, which I made them take me along for almost no reason.

It was either I came with them, despite my tendencies, or I would go on my own. They chose the former option. I decided to not perform any of my "actions," which some call it to try to not infuriate me, at least until I get away from Konoha. I looked to the partial reason that I was here, which I'd never admit out loud to anyone.

The said reason was eating once again. That boy never ceased. Naruto ate the ice cream cone, waving it around by exaggerating his movements to a story he was telling. I lost interest long before, so I couldn't tell you any detail about whatever he was whipping his hands around for. I'd reckon his story was about one of his elaborate missions without his team.

I wasn't exactly sure if they were just tales or actually reality. I listened in and received a yell from the boy. "... Then... BAM! The door blew apart under my foot, and I escaped in one piece, barely." He skipped onto another story after that. "Then, another time, there was..."

I ignored him again, but my gaze drifted back to his face. His mouth moved wildly, grinning and laughing, but it wasn't all true. I felt my brow crease a bit. When Naruto noticed my look, he tilted his head. "What's that for?" He tried to sound as innocent as possible. I wasn't buying any of his crap. He knew exactly what it was: he was performing.

He was not like before. I sighed and turned away. "Why don't you remember," I mumbled under my breath with a shake of my head. It didn't matter; it was false hope on my account.

 **. . . .**

 ***Naruto POV* -changed!-**

I was using Naruto's personality as a crutch. I was telling Gaara about my Anbu experiences, while hopefully deceiving her. I didn't want her to know about Kurama, maybe little by little, but not fully. She probably expected them to be only stories that didn't actually occur. I finished my one tale about escaping out of a burning building trying to capture a missing ninja, and I started with the mission with Kakashi, using different names of course.

I was getting to the part where I met Kakashi, or Akame for which I deemed him to be in the story, for the first time. (Akame meaning- Red eye) I chose it for obvious reasons, as you can tell. It was the first name that hit the top of my head, what did you expect. I mentioned Kakashi's- or Akame's - slight annoyance and somewhat curious interaction with Kurama.

He didn't seem complied to work with a fourteen year old, yet he heard of what the supposed teen accomplished, so he probably wondered if it were all true. I paused when I felt something spike next to me. It was anger, and it practically rolled off of Gaara. I tilted my head. Did my stories make her annoyed with me, or was it my incessant talking? I hoped not.

There was a probability that it would become an unfavorable outcome if she didn't calm down soon. "What's that for," I questioned slowly, trying to make it seem as if she was overreacting. In an instant, the vexed emotion flew away and another took its place. It seemed as if she was upset over something, perhaps she was distraught? I'm still not that great at deciphering emotions, so I wasn't sure.

She stated something, but I couldn't distinguish what she said. It wasn't because of how quiet it was, but it was jumbled together. I frowned at her frown for some reason. I put my hand on her shoulder as she attempted to rise to her feet. "I'll shut up if you don't leave."

She just shook her head, all her feelings blocked on her face and anywhere else. "It's best if I leave."

With that, she disappeared another time, abandoning me with only myself and that horrid fox.

* * *

 **(Coming Up: More interesting things occur in the story.**

 **Ch. 18- A mission as Kurama.**

 **Ch. 19/20- Kyuubi does something Naruto will never forget and neither will the village.**

 _ **Reviews are appreciated, so please tell me what you think. If you have any other pairings that you want in this story just say so. Also, I'll be leaving again, but if you want another chapter, or a few chapters, before I leave just tell me before the 29th of July 2015. I hope you continue reading, everyone, it's finally going to get more of the adventure aspects.**_ **)**


	19. Chapter 18

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. AN: LOOK at bottom for _answers to reviews_. I decided to post this chapter before I left for vacation, since why not. Well, see all you readers when I get back, I hope.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 18**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I decided that I needed to forget about Gaara, about Team Seven, and about Konoha for a while. The best excuse to take another mission straight away, so that's what I did when night arrived.

I already selected my mission, and I was jumping from tree to tree. I didn't really read the outline, only the place and who was needed to die, or in this case, multiple whos. I sped through the trees, barely pausing to adjust my mask.

 _Faster._ I told myself before Kyuubi got a chance. I was giving him the silent treatment after the other day. For one, he refused to teach me more about the move that saved Gaara from an injury, for some retarded reason. Then, he refused me sleep, especially after I took my time to scout Konoha's perimeter. He made me train until I could barely stand.

That had put me in a worse mood than before. Plus side, I got _four years ago_! That had to mean something. I wasn't compelled to learn the reason for the Akatsuki's threat, but that was a day when I fought them as Kurama for one of the first times. They still seemed to know it was me, even with the mask on.

Well... right now wasn't exactly the time for my mind to wander. I needed to focus at the objective at hand. I darted along the trees sideways to land on a small branch to gaze around. It must be close by now, despite its actual distance from the Leaf Village. I saw and swiftly ran to another closer tree. My eyes felt the familiar pool of chakra behind my eyes and the sting of the transformation of them after that.

My vision looked like a tunnel as it swept across the ground to count how many were outside. I saw twenty outside and sensed much more in the inside. The notice had said "Caution. Dangerous. Eliminate All." That makes my job easier. I smirked behind my mask and under my paint. _Let's hope this is going to be hard like they stressed._

Tonight I debated on just rushing in, but I didn't know the way around their establishment, which was more like a fortress. I made my choice by using a diversion. I made a few hands signs slow as I studied the people below. All appeared to be some sort of shinobi or they at least had some variation of a weapon. Their chakra signatures were above average, and some were far greater than that.

A clone appeared out of the air clothed with a tattered brown short sleeve shirt and dark tan long shorts that stopped below the knees. It didn't matter if I altered the clone's facial appearance, since no one was going to get out alive. I gave a nod to the clone, which it returned and leaped to the ground soundlessly. It strolled further into the open, alerting the shinobi outside of its whereabouts.

Then, the clone quivered at their approach. "I'm s-sorry mi-mister; I'm lost." It whimpered when one man lifted the clone up by its shirt. "Pl-Please." It started crying loudly. "Don't harm m-me."

I disliked the clone's actions, but we needed to get in there somehow. I rolled my eyes as the clone blabbered on about never coming back or something along the lines of that. The one holding my clone mumbled something to the others, and they made their way inside. I used my pinkie to pretend to clean out my ear with a silent yawn. _Soon._ I waited a bit.

 _Now._

 **. . .**

 ***Clone Naruto POV***

I pretended to be frightened as he grabbed hold of my collar. I wasn't scared of them, maybe if I was younger yeah, but not now. "I'll just leave; I promise that I won't tell anyone. Just don't hurt me," my lip quivered. _Or you'll get hurt._ I hid my smirk by squirming around and hiding my face. It would be inevitable either way.

"Hey, isn't that that demon kid?" A voice asked.

"Yeah, he's from the Leaf!" Another commented.

 _Oh no._ I froze as I stared at the one holding me above the ground.

He laughed. "Then perhaps he'll be of some use." He carried me to the door, and he set me down to walk by myself after he stated. "No funny business kid."

I nodded, hugging my arms. "Y-yes sir."

"Polite one, isn't he?" Someone nudged the one that had held me suspended in the air. "He'll definitely enjoy that."

I bit my lip and tried to seem embarrassed. However, I was far from it. I was angered. I was wondering what exactly they were planning, and from their emotions/expressions, I was not going to like it. I gazed around that seemed only like mere curiosity on my part. We ventured down the maze corridors, and each time there was at least another person to glance my way.

Whatever was happening was a regular occurrence, but spying me wasn't. We reached a door, and one person opened the door for me, shoving me in. With two by my side, two by the now closed door, and the rest out side, I looked to the man sitting behind the desk. I stared at my feet, contemplating. From my peripherals, I saw the man behind the desk smirk.

"Ah, what a lovely child you've brought me."

I raised a brow at him. "Excuse me." I snarled. I suddenly remembered what this guy did from my earlier skim of the mission.

The man suddenly growled at me. "Bring him to me."

I jumped back and smashed the two people's heads next to me. Then, I grabbed the weapon in one of the guards by the door in the same instant. They were all dead in the next. That left only me and the man. The man went to go forward to a button on his desk, but something brought him backward with a small blade pressed firmly to his neck.

"Don't move," hissed the figure behind him, resulting in me simpering slightly.

 **. . .**

 ***Normal Naruto POV***

With an arm around the man's neck and the other one poised with a blade above it, I told him to not move, which he refused to listen to me. I almost sighed, but then I smirked when he yelled out. "My men will be all over you if you lay a finger on me!" He bellowed as he tried to reach the button again.

I just tightened my grip and questioned him. "What's the button for?" I already knew what it did, but why not ask? It was to call in his "men." I tilted my head as my clone disappeared, and the man squirmed more.

"I know who you are!" He stammered. "Y-You're that Leaf ninja. You-You're-"

"Kurama," I said slowly. "You know, go ahead, push that button." I released him just enough to allow him to go forward a few inches.

However, he made no move. He was wet with sweat; it almost seemed to run off him, and he was shaking vigorously. This is what I enjoyed, especially when his finger hit the button, and he froze. I drew him back to his original position.

"Poor luck." I pressed down the blade that already looked red from his men's blood. In one fluent motion, the blade slid right through, and his body slumped against the desk. I had eliminated all his men, except one, so he should be arriving soon. I snapped around just as something struck the back of my calf. I hissed through my teeth, grabbing the weapon embedded in my leg.

I sniffed the air quick, which was unnecessary. _Poison._

I tossed that aside and gazed at my attacker. _While someone's back is turned, you attack? Bad choice._ I glared at him and ran in his direction. He dove out of the way, but I grabbed his ankle. I was furious, eyes boring holes into his. Suddenly, he reminded of me of so many others, like the man that was now dead along the desk.

His fear bubbled under his surface until he swung his arm out, and I seized it. Fear was another thing I began to recognize very quickly. It increased to break through his barriers, and then all his fear burst through to hit me. I twisted his arm to cause it to become immobile. With my hand spinning the blade, I brought it down to slice all the way through his chest.

Immediately afterwards, the fear disappeared, as did any life within the building (no chakras remained). I winced a bit at the pain in my leg when I put pressure on it, but I ignored it. I was expecting this mission to be extremely strenuous. I shrugged it off. I had to get back, anyway, so it didn't matter if it was easy or not. I made my way to the trees and jumped from one branch to another.

I paused in my movements, kicking out my leg a few times. It seemed Kyuubi wasn't going to heal it. _Good for nothing..._ I sighed and leaped again.

'Hey, I wasn't the stupid one that allowed him a chance to attack.' Kyuubi commented.

 _Shut up; I'm not talking to you, horrid fox._ I jumped again and paused once more. Of course, I could have made sure that the guy couldn't land anything, but I didn't think I'd need to. Instead of concentration on Kyuubi's next statement, I focused on jumping from branch to branch.

'That's talking to me, kid.'

I made sure I was silent. He was correct, but I wasn't going to tell him so, and I wasn't going to rise to his bait either. He knew I don't like the words _no_ and _kid_ , at least when directed at me. I shook my head as my vision blurred.

 _Keep going._ I wasn't sure if that was me or Kyuubi, but it was right.

I needed to keep moving.

* * *

 **(Next time: Naruto's disappointment creates an opportunity for Kyuubi.)**

Reviews/some spoilers: -these were overdue, but nonetheless here they are-

jh831: Thanks for the main pairing, and Anko will come in the story later.

Slam'in Burst: Thanks kid for reviewing, since it did provide a funny scene in the fic.

LordGhostStriker: He'll be coming back slowly. He just acts slightly different when he's around Kyuubi, and he has quite a temper, which he doesn't really know how to deal with yet.

Quadredurudoubleslash2: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I wanted to give out little information to leave you guys guessing.

kooloowarrior: I was trying a different way for writing, and yes, Naruto is around two years younger than them. As for the trio arriving earlier than in canon, that's all Gaara's doing, since she knew Naruto when he was very young, yet he can't remember (tragic event that occurred to create a periodical block). Upon learning he was in Konoha, Gaara went to investigate and discovered that he was indeed there, but not like she remembered him as. To be able to travel to Konoha, Gaara makes sure her siblings take her when they go, _or else,_ sometimes purposing fake missions or easy missions to force her siblings to do. There's other reasons, but I can't tell you guys just yet. She might not admit out loud that she has some sort of feeling toward the young blond, and she also has various reasons for her actions toward people/Naruto, as in murdering innocents or spending time with the blond. As in Sai, he is not in ROOT, and he doesn't even know Danzo (at least yet). Naruto found him/saved him quite a few times, so he finds himself responsible for the kid, despite being younger. Instead of leaving Sai alone where people could get him easier, Naruto directed him toward Konoha, so he could secretly watch over him. Naruto doesn't even realize that he finds Sai as a younger brother type, either. For the Akatsuki's attack, I moved it up because someone else is chasing Naruto, and they need the Jinchuriki. They want Naruto just as bad as another person, who I can't say yet, so they don't want the other person to get him before they do. Tsunade became the Hokage earlier because, like in canon, her skills were invaluable, and I wanted Sakura still trained by her; therefore, Sakura would still be a medic. A medic Sakura defines her; Sakura wouldn't be herself without Tsunade's instructions. Naruto was Anbu when he became seven, so that gave the Akatsuki another reason, which I'm neglecting to tell at the moment. Naruto had gone into Anbu to try to present himself as someone that was skilled and useful, and it helped his skills greatly, hence why Kyuubi allowed him to join. In this fic, there is many causes and effects. A lot of events are influenced by Naruto, centered around him, if you will. For the arcs you mentioned, I don't think I'll have Naruto go through it. With Konoha under attack from the Akatsuki and an unknown person, they couldn't possibly have the exams yet, so I'll wait until later on to put them in. I changed the events to correspond to the story line better, so canon events from Naruto's years of a genin do not really apply too much. Well, anyway, thank you for lasting through the confusing story until the previous chapter, but if you desire, you can forget this story and travel to another one. I apologize for it being so confusing, but I wanted readers to keep on guessing each time.

* * *

 **(If you are confused on the story/want more information on it, refer to kooloowarrior's answer above or PM me your questions.)**


	20. Chapter 19

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 19**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

A loud knock rose me from my slumber, at least enough for me to realize it was sometime in the afternoon. "Go away," my voice muttered into my pillow. I knew for certain that I had got back extremely late, and that I didn't automatically fall asleep when I got home either. The poison didn't help in putting me to sleep either, just now it was affecting me.

I groaned as another sharp sound resonated through the house. "Get up, dobe." I heard Uchiha's impatient voice. "Let's go."

He must have knocked again, but I sauntered over to the door as I finally got myself out of bed and fumbled for the lock only to notice that it was unlocked, so I turned the handle. "Hm? What is it?" I yawned, hand still on the door and eyes partially closed.

"Training," was all the young Uchiha stated as he turned and left me swaying at my door.

I rubbed my eyes. _Training? Oh yeah._ I probably had some time left to educate Sai on stealth? Ah, well, I'll find out soon enough. I suddenly coughed into my hand, blood filling my palm. I whipped it clean and went to change.

. . . .

I had finished working with Sai and was currently sitting at a table with a piece of paper on it and a pencil in my hand. I wrote fluently. "Completed." I paused, tilting back in the chair and pressing the pen to my bottom lip. It was my mission report. Typically, I would only write down that it was completed; however, an injury occurred last night.

I decided to write "minor injury" and underline the _y_ in _injury_ , so she knew it was only one. It was done, and all I had to accomplish was to give the Hokage the report. She didn't appreciate the shortness of Kurama's reports, but she learned to deal with it. I looked at the pencil with a sigh.

I am seriously starting to doubt all of my actions. Should I just let Kurama dissolve away from existence or should Naruto's personality disappear to show the real me? It was two different options that had multiple outcomes. Both had negative and positive repercussions. I didn't know what was the best option.

I didn't realize that someone sat next to me until it was too late, but it was only Sai. Sai gave me a worried look after a small glance at the paper. "Are you alright?" His worry surged through his other emotions.

I nodded and flashed Naruto's beaming grin. "Yup! Just a few scratches, nothing major." I lied easily. Sai's eyebrows knitted together, but he said nothing back, so I stood. "Later, Sai-"

"Wait!"

I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Hm?"

"Uhm... Thanks..." Sai mumbled. "Thanks for the extra help, and before I even arrived at Konoha."

I winked at him and smirked afterwards. "Don't worry yourself, kid. It was nothing." With a halfhearted wave of my hand, I left the other one at the table.

. . . .

About five o'clock or so came, and I felt almost as if I were sleeping while I was walking. Kyuubi still refused to heal my wound, and I dismissed any thoughts at communication with that horrid beast. He was purposely torturing me, and I knew why. He wanted full freedom and control over me.

I couldn't allow it to be done, so I directed myself toward my house. I could at least clean it up now. I paused in walking to yawn and regretted so, since Uchiha came up behind me. I jumped away from him for some reason, and that caused my injury to protest in catching my weight, so I hit the ground.

"Kakashi wants you, said it was important." He went to leave, but I never saw him since I slumped forward.

 **. . . .**

 ***Sasuke POV***

I started to leave, but I heard a thump behind me. When I looked back, I blinked. I didn't except to see Naruto slumped against the ground and unconscious. I nudged him with my foot. No response. I tried the same action again, but nothing came from him. I knelt down to push him onto his back. It was a more comfortable position then having your head at your knees.

I watched as his face screwed itself up. Then, he whimpered and moved to his side, smacking me in the face as he did so. I scowled at him. "Idiot." I determined that it would be best if I stayed here. Kakashi had told me to bring him Naruto, but I definitely was not going to carry his sorry ass. I tested his weight, nearly dropping him because of his surprising weight.

He was pretty heavy; a lot heavier than he appeared. Suddenly, he screamed out, and his fist hit my cheek. I spiraled backward, effectively releasing Naruto. I grunted as I found myself on the ground with my jaw burning. I didn't even think that was the hardest he could punch either.

I rubbed my face and grimaced at the pain. _Dammit._ I glared at the boy on the ground, but it disappeared when he screamed again and buried his face in the ground. "It wasn't me." His voice sounded weak.

I attempted to wake him again, taking precautions so I wouldn't get injured once more. I grabbed his shoulder and shook it. "Dobe," his scream cut me off.

He thrashed around, even kicking out his legs. "Don't touch me! Not again!" His leg collided with my shin, and I scowled.

"Naruto, stop it." I hissed. That seemed to break through and register with the blond, since his movements stilled, and he became silent. I exhaled loudly, glancing at my shin to realize blood on it. I raised a brow at it. After I looked it over, I knew it wasn't mine. It was Naruto's.

 **. . . .**

 ***Naruto POV***

Something insisted I wake up. "Wake up..." It whispered. "Just get up." I didn't want to, so I turned away from it and buried my head into the pillow.

"Five more minutes, Kyuubi," I mumbled at him. I thought it was him because no one could get into my house without Kyuubi or me noticing. I heard it tell me to wake up again. I groaned, shielding my head. "I'll train later, four more minutes and fifty-seven seconds later."

"Wake up." It commanded me. It started to sound familiar, but not Kyuubi. "Dobe, open your eyes."

My eyes snapped open. _How did he get inside?_ I paused as I dragged my fingers in the grass. _I was outside?_ I sat up, head reeling and pushing myself up onto my heels. I looked to my right and saw him. Uchiha's cold eyes slid over to me, and they slowly narrowed. He was sitting right next to where I had been laying.

We were both silent for a while, both studying each other. I opened my mouth to say something before he could, and I looked to the ground. "I fell asleep, didn't I?" I faked a pout. "That's what I get for having an eating contest late at night with Kiba and Choji again." I grumbled, rubbing my stomach as if in remembrance of all the food eaten the night before.

Honestly, I'd love to have a contest with Akimichi and Inuzuka, but I'll never have time. Uchiha glared. "I'm not an idiot like you pretend to be. Where did the blood come from?" Suspicion came from the raven as well as something that was almost hidden. I couldn't discover what emotion since it was so masked behind everything else. "The truth Naruto," he added.

I bit my lip and looked angrily at him. It wasn't real, but Naruto's personality permits that I do. "I don't need to do that, teme." I stuck out my tongue. I could have told him that I was telling the truth, but he was right. He wasn't stupid; he already suspected something from before. He just didn't pursue me like he did a few weeks ago.

He scowled and grabbed my collar. "Tell me."

"I'm on my period asshole, there you go." I smirked at the Uchiha's blink. Obviously, he didn't expect that comment.

"Naruto." He warned, tightening his grip, causing us to become closer. It was normal for us to glare at each other in this way, but I just raised a brow and brought back my face while my head tilted. "Did this _Kyuubi_ hurt you?" He asked, mouth in a tight line.

It was my turn to blink. _He heard that. Fantastic._ The calm before the storm just ended. I stated. "No. It was someone else." I looked away from his black holes. If I couldn't read emotions, I'd think this boy only ever felt anger, but right now it was that and pain. The pain wasn't directed at me, at least not all of it.

I hugged him because I had no idea what else to do. The pain overtook the anger by now, but the anger was also replaced with surprise and confusion, I think it was those emotions. I found out that I actually enjoyed hugs or I was too drugged up from the poison, I couldn't tell. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my mouth. When I tried to make it stop, it resulted in Naruto's cheery giggle.

Uchiha froze and raised a questioning brow at me. I smiled thinly, but it was nonetheless a real one, despite its size. The only other people that saw my smile was probably Sai and Gaara, maybe Haruno caught a glimpse at it, but it was never directed at her. Uchiha tried to remove himself from my grip, but I didn't allow it. "Ay, Uchiha, wanna know Kyuubi?"

He stopped struggling. He looked slightly intrigued as his gaze drifted to my face.

"Maybe later then." I let him go and rose to my feet, stretching. "Didn't Kakashi want me for something?"

Uchiha gave a sigh. "That's the only reason I would be here."

"Ouch." I teased in Naruto's loud voice.

. . . .

We walked to the Hokage Tower. Many people were gathered around the entrance. We went into the middle of the villagers, all of them turned heated eyes on me. I didn't want to go forward, but that was where Kakashi was, so I held my head high and didn't look at them. As I went into the sea of people, they parted to make sure that I didn't touch them.

I ignored their glares. Then, I froze, my feet rooted to the ground, resulting in a body crashing into my back. I didn't budge at all. Three corpses laid on the ground, covered in red from head to toe, with five long slashes across their bodies. A memory flashed in my brain, and I shoved it down.

Kakashi was there, and he was frowning. His disappointment shown from his emotions to his stance/uncovered eye. "Naruto, where were you last night?"

"At home," I told him. "Asleep." I barely noticed Uchiha's stare. I frowned. "You think I did this?" I knew he didn't trust me. No one did. I took a step forward. "You think I'd do that?!" I growled. "After everything?"

"I'm not saying anything. It's just that all the evidence points to you," Kakashi started, but I cut him off.

I shook with anger. "Out of everyone here, you should know the best." I hissed, eyes stinging. I wasn't positive if I was holding back tears or the chakra from my eyes. Kakashi's eye widened at me. My chakra escaped from me, little by little, far more than in practice with him. "You should only fear one thing, and it's not me." I couldn't stop the familiar pooling of the chakra behind me eyes.

I heard gasps, and I knew my eyes were red. Kakashi's emotions revealed his fright, but he remained calm on the outside. "Naruto, calm down-" He made no move to come forward to calm me down. He thought I would lash out in rage.

"No," I hissed at him. I felt my canines become longer, which was ridiculous since they were above average since our _deal_. "I kept this secret for years; I was pursued by the Akatsuki and Orochimaru for it; and I put up with _him_ , all of it for the village. For everyone, I faced this day and night." I let my chakra out.

As soon as I did, the ground split beneath me, and the nearest buildings instantly collapsed. The other ones started to crack as I glared.

"You should be afraid of _him_."

I understood that I needed to calm down after a quick glance around. People emotions struck me full force. There was a mix of dread and anger along the crowd. I saw Uchiha blankly staring at me, as well as Sai's worried expression and Haruno's distress as she clung to Sai as the ground broke apart next to her foot. There was the Sand Siblings also.

I couldn't dwell on the fact that they were still here, especially when the fear covered everything. There was something else to Gaara, but I couldn't focus.

Then, finally, the screams hit my eardrums.

I tried to pull back my chakra, but it wouldn't obey me. I tried so hard, but it just slipped out of my grasp.

"Oh no," I whispered as my vision was swallowed in the red swirls of the chakra.

* * *

 **(FYI: Sasuke won't be a total "bastard" as this fic goes on. He'll slowly become nicer until a point.**

 **Next time : Hokage for the day, or at least for a little while, for Kyuubi.)**


	21. Chapter 20

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 20**

 ***Kakashi POV***

 **. . .**

I knew something was terribly wrong when Naruto moved his mouth in those two short words, and he stumbled forward. A loud maniacal laugh erupted from Naruto. "Finally." His voice was deeper, much deeper than usual, even deeper than Kurama's by a little bit.

"Kyuubi," hissed Sasuke, who backed up to where I was.

 _How did he know-?_

Red eyes stared at us. "Naruto did want you to meet me, didn't he?" He almost purred out his question. "Perhaps, not in this exact situation." He laughed again, drawing in a breath. He sniffed once more. "There's fear, everywhere." A smirk tugged Naruto's face. It seemed too evil to belong on the boy's face.

I stepped forward, but stopped since the red eyes glared at me. "I see where Naruto gets his glares from." I stated, faking my amusement as I straightened my back.

Kyuubi tilted his head. "You don't want to hurt poor Naruto, do you?" His smirk widened as I glared at him. "You know, merging with my pathetic prison was extremely easy. No persuasion needed."

 _Merging? Wait..._ My visible eye widened. That has never been done, at least not with something inside you. In fact, it was known to be virtually impossible without seriously bad consequences (for an example, death of both of them within a few weeks). Naruto and Kyuubi must have merged when Naruto was younger, but _when?_ I subconsciously removed a kunai from my pocket, watching the red chakra circle around Naruto's body.

Every once in a while the red would darken to black then fade back to red.

Kyuubi stuck up a finger and ticked it back and forth at me. "Uh-Uh, don't want to kill you yet." The smirk was a permanent addition to Naruto's face, which was darkened. I couldn't believe it. Kyuubi laughed, taking out Naruto's sword. "Where do you think you're going?" Suddenly, the sword darted past my ear, and I froze momentarily.

A scream echoed through the place. I turned stiffly and saw a civilian woman laying face first on the ground, red escaping through her chest and back. From where I stood, I could tell that the sword had pierced all the way through. She seemed to be pregnant, as well. I clenched my hand tight around the kunai. No one was going to try to stop this?

I knew it was pointless, but I couldn't shake off my anger. "Anger is a dangerous ally." I blinked at what Kyuubi said. It reminded me so much of Naruto. He had said that once, during one of our earlier training sessions. In fact, there were many similarities between Naruto and Kyuubi's actions. I wondered how I missed all the signs. Naruto had that animal way to him.

When he crouched, he landed on the balls of his feet and his fingertips. When he got angry, anyone could practically see his ears turn back and him hissing like a cat. I just thought that he was hanging around that Kiba kid too much. Also, his canines were abnormally sharp, but they weren't always like that. I remembered when I saw him a few years after being born, and his smile was normal, if not lonely.

I went to say something sarcastic to Kyuubi, but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes watched Sasuke, who stepped up to him, eyes swirling red. He said something that no one could hear, but Kyuubi. All of a sudden, Sasuke was bent forward over Kyuubi's knee. "Don't be to focused on getting killed now. Don't want Naruto to come to his senses." His smirk returned as he elbowed Sasuke backward, faster than I could even calculate.

I ran over to shield my student, but Kyuubi sighed. "This is not how you should treat your new Hokage." He glanced around. "As a matter of fact..." The sword appeared in his hand and disappeared the next. Then, something struck the ground. Screams filled the air as people leaped away from the body crumbled on the ground.

It was an Anbu member. Kyuubi grinned slightly. "Now, anyone else want to disrespect me?" No one moved except to shake their heads. "Good, and now," his eyes slid toward the siblings from the sand.

 **. . . .**

 ***Sasuke POV***

I sat up after the hit, dazed. I saw Kakashi above me, staring off with his visible eye narrowed. I reached my feet as Kyuubi directed his attention to Gaara.

"You," Kyuubi smirked, pointing a lazy finger toward her. Something drastically changed within the next moment. His voice became more familiar. It was less deep than before. "You three leave."

I recognized it as Naruto.

Then, the voice flickered back to the deeper version. Kyuubi shook his head. "Leave before I change my mind." He obviously didn't want to show his strain on his control to the others.

As Gaara glared at Kyuubi, her siblings seemed to debate on what to do. Gaara decided for them. "Come." She left the circle of people with clearly a distressed brother and sister. At least, she could leave.

"You," I looked to see the next unfortunate soul, since the voice definitely belonged to Kyuubi again. I glanced up to see his sharpened nail in my face. "You will be one of my assistants."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not ever, Kyuubi." I practically spat at him.

He tsked at me, disappearing to only appear in front of me. I tried to take a step back, but he grabbed hold of my neck, lifting me up into the air. "What was that?"

"I'd rather..." His grip tightened on my throat. "Rather die."

"As you wish," his voice purred. His grip tightened even more, enough to cause black spots to invade my vision. "Would you like to change your answer?" His voice seemed close, and when I forced one of my eyes open, I saw him speaking into my ear to make sure I heard him.

"G-Go t...to hell." I pushed through, only to gasp out. _I'm an Uchiha; I can't be defeated by him._ As I attempted to struggle, the pressure increased so I couldn't receive any air. I clenched my eyes closed in an effort not to scream out.

"Did you know, Naruto never cared about any of you? In fact, he is really enjoying this." I heard Kyuubi's distant voice. I felt my body get heavier. "He was too weak to do it himself, but this is what he wanted..." I think he said something more, but I was beyond comprehending it.

I almost let the darkness in until I heard Kakashi's voice. "Let him go Kyuubi; I'll be your assistant."

 _What was he doing?_ I felt air rush into my lungs as I slammed into the ground. I coughed as a hand went to help me up. I pushed it away.

"You both will," Kyuubi smirked. "Or I might just destroy the Ex-Hokage."

Kakashi stated. "Where is she?"

Kyuubi waved him off. "Can't dispose of her yet, not with Naruto screwing things up."

. . . . .

A few weeks past with being a personal slave to Kyuubi and only Kakashi to help a bit. I basically threw the cup on the desk in front of Kyuubi. I was getting sick of this! Kyuubi laughed at me. "Not enjoying your job? Would you care to die, instead?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. No wonder why Naruto had a temper, especially with this creature inside him. "How about you give back Naruto, and we won't have to kill you." I stated.

"I thought you were smart." Kyuubi shrugged, raising from his chair and removing his feet from the desk. "Oh well." He approached me, and I didn't move.

I stood my ground, even when his glare settled on me. "Says the one that told everyone that you couldn't kill a select few just in case Naruto came to 'his senses.' Then told us he wanted us to die."

Kyuubi threw me against the wall. "Perhaps too smart." The cold metal rested against my neck from the sword.

I tilted it so he had enough room, staring him down. "Go ahead, see what happens."

Kyuubi glared back at me. "Insufferable brat." He whipped out his hand and struck my cheek, and with the other, he raised Naruto's sword.

I glanced at the blade. Ironic that I'd end by the dobe's sword when I promised that he never beat me. Technically, was that idiot finishing me off? I knew for certain that I wasn't fast enough to get away, and I wasn't going to beg Kyuubi for my life.

I closed my eyes, feeling like when I was younger. Helpless to my clan, as my brother murdered them all, and here I was not able to do anything for Konoha or the dobe teammate of Team Kakashi. I anticipated pain, but only coldness brushed against my neck. My eyes opened to reveal the blue ones staring back. _Naruto?_ Then, the blue disappeared and the red covered it again.

Just when I thought Kyuubi was going to attack again, Kakashi arrived. I sprang into action and went to the other side of the desk. Kakashi didn't seem exactly happy with Kyuubi's actions, sending a murderous glare that could rival one of mine or perhaps Gaara's. Thinking of Gaara, Kakashi stated. "We have visitors from Suna."

Kyuubi smirk hit his face instantly. "That's _great_."

. . . .

Kyuubi came out the Tower before us, allowing Kakashi to glance over at me. I glared back, which caused a slight amused expression from the jonin. Only Kakashi could be amused in our current situation. For all we knew the visitors from Suna would perish by Kyuubi's hand (or Naruto's sword). Everyone had shown up since Kyuubi had called them to witness whatever what was going to go down.

I immediately became aware of the most definite bruise on my face and sighed, arms crossing slightly. Kakashi and I observed Gaara, who approached Kyuubi without her siblings. Kakashi looked like he was hiding a smirk for a strange reason. Then, I remembered Naruto had broken through at least once today, maybe Gaara can help him stay in control.

Kyuubi laughed an evil laugh as his red eyes located her. "About time you showed your face. I've been craving this." A shuriken flashed into his hand, and he fiddled it between his fingers. Naruto used to do that, my brain reminded me. Suddenly, the star-shaped weapon darted toward Gaara.

She made no move to protect herself. My eyes widened as the object flew, nearly upon her now, yet she still didn't move, neither did her sand rush up to shield her. "NO!" somebody roared- Kyuubi, no, Naruto.

When I looked over to Naruto, it was Kyuubi's eyes that flashed back onto his face.

* * *

 **(Next time: Naruto fights back and learns of what Kyuubi has done.)**

Reviews/some spoilers:

xX Stranger Xx: Sorry about the confusion, and I'm glad you're still reading this.

Sn0wk1tty: Out of control Naruto happens again, but later on in the story, and slightly different circumstances.

 _ **(Updates will be a lot slower than usual, since school is starting soon.)**_


	22. Chapter 21

**(I do not own anything, but the plot. Thank you readers, followers, and favorite..ers...?)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 21**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I had felt the shuriken fly through my fingers; I couldn't stop it. My eyes seemed to snap open as I watched it go right for her. "NO!" I made a move toward her, but it was too late. It cut along her face. I quivered as I caught a look around. Then, my vision blackened. No, Kyuubi was not going to win! I imagined myself grabbing hold of the chakra and wrapping it around my arm.

 _Not anymore will I stand by, Fox._

I won't let it happen. I let out a scream as I felt the familiar burning sensation of the touch of Kyuubi's chakra. I whipped back my head, screaming out in agony as I tried to seal the chakra again into my body. Kyuubi kept pushing it further away. My eyes opened to watch as the blackened chakra escaped my body. "You won't win, I promise." _That's my ninja way_ , I added in my head since it hurt too much to speak.

I grabbed hold of my shirt and felt the fabric tear underneath my fingers, even if my vision was fading. This time if I lose my sight, it might be for good. I placed my fingers on the seal and turned. Kyuubi's howl erupted from my throat until it drifted further away down my throat, and, at last, I heard it in the distance. The bars sealed Kyuubi against the ground as my vision returned only for it to disappear again.

All the while I stumbled to catch myself and hoped that I would be in control when I woke up, or if I woke up.

. . . .

I found my face rubbing against a pillow and a sheet clinging to my body. I didn't want to face it just yet, so I didn't open my eyes. I wanted- no needed- to be in control, but if I wasn't... I'd have to do something drastic, far more than imprisoning Kyuubi for the first time in years. He had crossed our line far before, only in my presence, but this was different.

He came out and injured at least Gaara and the Uchiha. My memory was blank of the event, and I only understood that Kyuubi could have injured so many, and he must have murdered at least a few. For a few days prior to the accident, I was starting to feel like I was the horrid one, but obviously he was all along. I knew what he was doing, but I did almost nothing to prevent it.

I could have not gone on that mission; I wouldn't have been so tired or poisoned, for that matter. I wouldn't have gotten so angry at Kakashi for his belief that I had killed those three people. My muscles tensed as the image returned from before and from the three villagers. They looked identical. I-I didn't do it, but did that beast do it somehow?

I buried my head in the pillow and bit my lip forcibly. I felt my body shake without my permission, warmth covered my face. I hated crying, even if it were in anger. I just couldn't believe I did that. I basically invited him to do whatever he wanted to do with the village when I released our combined chakra. _Why am I such a screw up?_ I curled up with my face still pressed against the pillow.

It was surprising that I could even breathe, actually. I hit my head against the pillow, once, twice, three times before I screamed in frustration. I frowned into my pillow, dreading what else Kyuubi had done when I was... away... or how long I was gone for for that matter. I forced my eyes open, realizing that I was at home, and it was actually clean. There was no weapons anywhere.

I felt a familiar presence and shifted my gaze to a person sitting in the chair. It was Kakashi. I turned away from him, most definitely my face was puffy or he witnessed my little breakdown just a second ago. He didn't trust me, so therefore, I didn't even try to trust him in return, or was that why I was so upset about earlier? It didn't matter, anyway.

I should be asking him what they planned to do to me, but didn't find myself able to care. I felt Kakashi's eye on me. "Naruto, how are you feeling?" The shift of the bed made me realize that he stood from the chair. He got closer to me, as the bed dipped down next to me. I froze as I sensed, rather than saw, since my face was in the pillow again, his hand rise up.

I didn't know what I expected, but it wasn't a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Listen, Naruto, I'm... sorry for accusing you."

I turned my head to look at him from only one eye (my right one, which was closer to him than the other). I didn't bother to grin cheerfully or just shrug it off. I just stared blankly. "What are they going to do?"

Kakashi's eye smiled at me. "Nothing that we can't persuade them to not do."

I blinked, curious, which seemed to brighten his mood a bit. Kakashi gazed around my place, as I asked, not exactly politely either. "Where's my weapons?"

"Sasuke didn't like coming in here and tripping over every single thing, and Sai didn't enjoy getting poked by them either. Sakura complained about it numerous times, so Sasuke cleaned it up, with a bit of Sai's help... They are all in the closet." He smiled at me from behind his mask.

Instantly I felt as if I didn't deserve it. I frowned once again that day. Kakashi's hand ruffled up my hair. "We'll get it all sorted out, alright?" My frown deepened, but I nodded once. Kakashi stood up. "Just get some rest."

. . . .

I didn't know when I fell asleep; the only thing that I comprehended was that I was waking up again. I sat up, expecting Kakashi, but found the Uchiha. I scowled. "What do you want?"

"Shifts," was his only comment. He didn't give me a look back. Instead, he shook his head and continued. "Periodical shifts of watching over you for the time being." He shrugged one shoulder. "Pretty boring, if you ask me. All you do is pretty much sleep. For someone supposedly so strong, you seem to pass out from exhaustion enough times."

I hugged my knees. I didn't want him here. I didn't want anyone near, just in case. I wish it were Sai or Kakashi. "I... I apologize for the hurtful treatment that I caused you." I regretted harming both Gaara and the Uchiha, and whoever else.

"It wasn't you; it was that monster, Kyuubi."

I clenched my eyes closed. Technically, I was also a monster, since we fused together. A sigh came from my lips. I dreaded the answer to my question, but I needed to know. "Who else?"

Uchiha gazed at me for a few seconds with his normal cold glare. Then, it softened a bit. "A civilian and an Anbu." He seemed to be studying my reaction. "Also, Gaara and I."

I glared at my hands as the red chakra glittered across my fingertips. It immediately disappeared. "What did they look like?" He described the civilian then the Anbu member, and I nodded. I knew the Anbu, well I went on one mission with him. He made a move on me, expecting it to be easy, since I was young, but that gave him a broken hand, as well as a broken nose, a dislocated knee, a few cracked ribs, and many bruises.

He was lucky that was all he received, but I didn't want him to perish by my hands, even if the fox was in control. The civilian was just frightened and attempting to run, only to get maliciously struck down. She didn't deserve it, neither did her unborn child. I shook my head slightly.

Uchiha said. "I heard they'll be letting you off the hook, if we can find Tsunade, that is."

"She's fine. Kyuubi just sent her away to get rid of her because he knew he couldn't just dispose of her any other way, at least not at first." I tilted my head. "She should be nearing the village by now... I think she's at the gate, actually." I opened my eyes to notice Uchiha's raised brow, curious to how I knew, obviously. I swung my feet off the bed and tested my weight.

I shoved myself up onto my feet, despite the possible outcome of me falling directly on my face. However, I just swayed a bit. "Easy, dobe," Uchiha instructed me.

I moved over to the bathroom and washed my face in the sink. I coughed once. Plus side, there wasn't any blood this time. I went back out to see Sai laying on my bed. "Hey, dickless." I glanced around the room. Sai smiled and tackled me in what I could assume was Sai's version of a hug. "Sasuke's going to get the others, they really were worried about you, even if a few of them wouldn't admit it."

I patted Sai's back awkwardly. "Uhm, Sai, can you release me?" I discovered that I, indeed, was exhausted and poisoned when I hugged the Uchiha and still disliked the idea of friendly gestures.

When he let go, his smile grew bigger. "Gaara's still here!" He proclaimed.

He didn't know what those three words did to me. My blood instantly ran cold. I don't think I could face her right at the moment. I debated on pretending I was unconscious again, but threw that out the window. It wasn't an option. A knock on my door created a silence between Sai and I. I didn't move. We both knew who it was.

Kakashi opened the door and brought forth Haruno, Uchiha- who Haruno gripped his elbow to force him inside-, and last of all Gaara. I stared at the ground. "Yo," Kakashi's greeting sounded. I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

"Why do I have to be here," muttered Uchiha, even if only I could hear it. It was more to himself than to anyone in particular. "I was already here."

"Nonsense!" A loud booming voice came from the doorway. It was Gai, unfortunately. "You should be here to enjoy your youthful friend's-"

I blocked out the rest of his speech. It was irritating in normal circumstances, and it was beyond that now. I glanced to look at Gaara, but she was already gone, but many others took her place. There was Ten Ten, the Hyugas, and everyone that "Naruto" claimed to be friends with. I said nothing, a sinking feeling as I realized that I couldn't apologize to Gaara for what Kyuubi and I caused.

Since... She was no longer there. _Again_. I sighed in defeat.

* * *

 _ **(Next time: Naruto and Kyuubi actually get in a real fist fight, but someone intervenes.)**_

Reviews:

PurpleOmpski: Thanks for saying so!

Kris Awesomeness: For all of the reviews, I really appreciate it. You find about the event every once in a while, but you really have to be looking for the hints.

Sn0wk1tty: Yeah, until later, and until the next chapter as well.

Hatty-fox: Thank you for the compliments, by the way.


	23. Chapter 22

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 22**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

Instead of the Hokage putting me away or demanding my head, she let me off the hook with only a slap on the wrist, and a full-time baby-sitter. I was relieved she let me stay, despite the danger Konoha was in. Most likely, she wanted to make sure no one got a hold of me, since she still thought me not that great in skill, that the fox was the one that held the power and the speed.

That was alright with me. If she believed that, then the rest of the village would, as well, except for a select few, such as Sai, Kakashi, or Uchiha, not too much for Haruno, though. I decided it was best if I didn't wallow, but accomplish something instead. I was training Sai, teaching him how to use his paintbrush to create creatures that flowed off the page and attacked a target.

I wasn't going to remove the bars, even if Kyuubi roared at me to do so. He said I'd need him soon, and I couldn't just lock him away and forget about him. He was a part of me, as much as I was a part of him. I gave into his constant pleas to free him. Kyuubi never pleaded with me before, so I finally unlocked him one morning on one condition. If he had a problem, he had to answer to me.

He could no longer target anyone else, but me. Immediately after I released him, he exploded out of my chest. _Good thing no one's around._ I said dryly to him within my head. I lost my "baby-sitter" for at least a few minutes, so I'd let Kyuubi take out his anger on me. Kyuubi was practically fuming. "You. You little kid. You always get in the way." He hissed.

I tilted my head and shrugged my shoulders. " _Always_ ," I smirked at him, shifting my feet apart as he attacked. His fist hit my face and sent me onto my back. Kyuubi did a hand sign. I looked up to see a clone of myself with that orange disaster of clothing on and Kurama's red eyes. Kyuubi, or the strange clone type thing, growled as he ran at me again.

I screamed out a bit as his hand grabbed my throat and slammed me down on a sharp rock. Kyuubi let me go to stomp on my chest until I had enough time to roll up to my feet. I back-stepped away from him a couple of times. Want to know a really bad disadvantage I had against Kyuubi? Well, he could see my moves before I made them; he could read my mind, while I couldn't do the same to his.

I jumped out of the way of Kyuubi's sharp claws, only to receive a flesh piercing tear on my back. I fell forward as Kyuubi's heel connected with my newest wound. "I'm not healing that," he hissed at me as I heard his sword slide out. I rushed to my feet and punched with all my might. It actually connected with his cheek. Even if it barely struck him, he growled as if I stabbed through his head.

He raised his sword and brought it down, right where I had been only moments ago, and he knew I would jump back, so he appeared behind my back and the sword went through. I stared at the red pooling from my stomach and into my hands. It was a while since I had this serious of an injury. I couldn't help, but laugh, except that seemed to anger the fox increasingly more so.

His forearm collided with my neck, and I flew into the air and skidded along the ground to come to rest at the base of a tree. As I struggled to push myself up, Kyuubi was already in front of me with a murderous look in his eyes. When I noticed his closeness, I was up on my feet, ready for another attack. I used my sword to pry his sword away from his hands.

The sword launched into the air, and Kyuubi didn't waste any time at pushing me through the tree. I grunted once when I arrived on the other side. Raising my sword off the ground, a foot slammed on it. I snapped my head up to see Kyuubi's smirk. The action led to his other foot to connect with my side and send me sliding across the ground. _Great, now he had two swords._

I shoved myself to my feet and found a smug lift to Kyuubi's mouth.

"I taught you nothing it seems." Kyuubi approached with both swords in each hand. It was slightly unnerving to watch yourself come at you with the intent to destroy you.

I chuckled. "Of course you've taught me something, it is how to be a pathetic little dog that won't stand up for anyone, but himself. In fact, you taught me to become a spineless-" A blade came at my head, and I had to duck below it to escape a decapitation. I narrowed my blue eyes at him as he landed a knee to my stomach.

He inclined his head, going to open his mouth, but I spit blood at him instead. I didn't want to hear him speak. Kyuubi gave a loud holler of frustration at me and threw me over his shoulder. I attempted to rise again, but froze when I heard another voice.

"You keep getting uglier every time I see you, _Kyuubi_."

I rushed to my knees, well as quick as I could, when I recognized the person. If I was role-playing at the moment, I would have yelled " _HEY"_ at him, but Kyuubi beat me in speaking first. Kyuubi turned to him with a sneer. "The not-so-great Uchiha, humph." He gestured to me. "Can you leave? I have business to take care of. Or would you care to be first?"

I growled at him. "Leave him out of this."

Kyuubi raised a brow at me. "When do I ever listen to you?" His gaze traveled to Uchiha, who happened to be my baby-sitter at the moment. Technically, his "shift" was supposed to be over at least a few seconds ago.

Uchiha crossed his arms at Kyuubi. "I know how you fight; you do whatever you can to win, but that's not always a positive."

"I don't need your advice-"

I couldn't help it. "Maybe you should use it," I said.

That caused Kyuubi to become very annoyed. His grip on the swords made his knuckles white. After a few moments, however, he removed his grip. "Alright," he dropped the swords and continued smoothly. "I'll try it." I didn't like the tone of his voice; he always acted that way when...

 _Crack._ Kyuubi had punched Uchiha square in the jaw. I watched my teammate's body fly up into the air and come down in horror. I didn't need to feel his emotions; it was obvious that hit had hurt. Uchiha rolled to his feet, hand on the already visible bruise. His black eyes swirled as they transformed into the red sharingan with two tomoes, instead of his original one.

Uchiha dodged one of Kyuubi's slow attacks, only to get kicked down. Kyuubi laughed as Uchiha stood up again, ready for his next attack. "You think you could harm me, kid? When that pathetic mortal couldn't?" His finger jutted back in my direction.

"There's many differences between him and me." Uchiha stated. "For one, you can't read my mind." A smirk edged itself to his face when Kyuubi blinked.

'Perhaps, too smart.' Kyuubi's words struck me from before when I couldn't see, back when all I could do was hear and feel somewhat. Kyuubi went forward, mouth in a straight line now, all serious. Uchiha ducked under a hand and disappeared quickly to reappear behind Kyuubi (however, I could see his movements, as did Kyuubi). Kyuubi whipped his claws back.

The middle claw got the Uchiha's cheek, and he fell to the ground, body quivering. I knew the feeling. It felt as if you were burning through your skin from the inside out; I was just used to it, which is why I could handle it so well. Kyuubi darted now when Uchiha was at an unfocused state. Kyuubi raised a sword that materialized in his hand. Before he could do anything, I was there before him, hand over his.

My other hand went to my stomach. We glared at each other, both at a standstill. I could easily seal him away if he tried to complete his actions or he could go willingly until later. He chose the latter option, turning into his red chakra and dissolving into my chest. It was painful, but it was better than him being loose. I chanced a glance at Uchiha, who was still cradling his cheek.

Now that I look back, Kyuubi didn't exactly land it, only grazed his cheek. As his now-dark eyes stared up at me, I stepped back. His eyes were teary, I noticed. I backed up more, shaking my head. I walked away from him, quickly. He didn't follow.

. . . .

I picked up my mask, already done with my face paint. I stared at it, curious as to why I wanted to go out so badly. I set my mask on my face, feeling numb for an odd reason. It could be from the past days- weeks- whatever it was. I despised Kyuubi, and he seemed to absolutely hate me in return. He hated me enough to try to ruin my life multiple times.

I slowly went out of my house, not caring to even hide this time. It sucked being with Kyuubi until I died, which may come sooner than later with what he was doing. I walked down the alleyways, eventually coming to the academy. I cocked my head to the side as I stared at how it looked at night. It seemed gloomier than usual. My gaze traveled to the swing.

I sat down on it and kicked off the ground with one foot. Suddenly, I felt Sai's chakra nearing me. _Shoot!_ I took to rooftops. I sped along them, jumping when there were parts among the buildings. From what I could determine, Sai was getting further and further away as I ran. I only stopped my running when I knew that Sai wasn't in pursuit or at least nowhere near me.

I crouched when I fell off one roof to the ground below me. It was substantially darker than the Academy was. I lifted my mask as I rubbed my face. Staring at my hand, I saw the paint that had came off from my touch. I decided that I needed better paint soon. Too caught up in escaping Sai and thinking of face paint, I didn't notice Uchiha's presence until he questioned.

"Dobe?"

* * *

 ** _(Next time: Sasuke has a hunch, and he has his sights on someone that could assist him in figuring it out.)_**

Reviews/A Slight " _Spoiler?_ ":

ArronGenerator Rex: Yes, in the chapter 6/5 I meant to put "rarely," and I'll attempt to write more and post the chapters when I finish them. It may be quite a bit slower than before, but I'll try to get them up for all you readers.

Kris Awesomeness: Thanks again for the reviews, and in the 28 or 27th chapter, you'll find what Naruto and Gaara- well actually - what trouble they end up in.

Neon and the lost soul: Thank you, I appreciate the praise, and I'm glad you enjoy the fic so far.


	24. Chapter 23

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 23**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I let the mask fall back to hide my face more. It was too dark for him to see me anyways, but how was it possible that he discovered it was me? I knew that he could probably sense the familiar chakra, but no one else seemed to link them together, Kurama and Naruto Uzumaki. "No." I stated coldly. "Kurama." I turned my back to him. Clearly, we each had unique personalities, Naruto's joyous outlooks and Kurama's realistic qualities.

Sometimes the Naruto mask got in the way, but I'm recognizing what is real once more. Kyuubi will just end up harming people that are near to me, so there was only one response to that. Keep my distance and keep the fox on a short leash. I almost smirked at that, but then I did a few hand signs. It was best to stay away even as Kurama.

As I finished, I felt a wave of air rush around me.

. . .

 ***Sasuke POV***

Leaning up against a conveniently placed building, I threw up a tomato then caught it. My brain went through what happened, even though it was hours ago. My left hand threw up the tomato again and retrieved it from the air before it hit the ground, while my right gingerly went to the mark on my cheek. I ended up whipping it away. It still hurt like a mother...

I sighed as I watched the tomato again. It was almost as if my brain was continuously set on replay. I didn't even have to close my eyes to see the scene perfectly. I had secretly watched as Naruto fought with Kyuubi, not the beginning, but close enough. Kyuubi looked like a Naruto clone with that orange jumpsuit, but with red eyes.

Judging by first appearances, Kyuubi was the top shinobi in speed, strength, and anything else that came to mind, such as agility and accuracy. However, Naruto got away from him multiple times. Kyuubi would always go back for him.

Eventually, Kyuubi appeared behind Naruto and sent a sword through Naruto's midsection. Naruto, instead of getting angry or furious like he would usually do, just ended up laughing. I had resumed watching until Naruto spit at him, red streaming down Kyuubi's face, and thrown to the ground. I was tired of seeing this, so I stepped out and got Kyuubi's attention by insulting him.

I refused to admit that I felt terrible just for watching as Naruto was pummeled. I liked to think that he deserved it, but not really. Naruto didn't, but Kyuubi deserved such treatment. He's the one that was in control for torturing the village and the civilians, not the idiot.

I fought, well attempted to do so, and I wasn't exactly sure how I came to the conclusion that Kyuubi could read Naruto's mind, perhaps when he said Naruto wanted them to "die" earlier. We didn't hear him, yet Kyuubi did. However, my suspicions had paid off, especially when I witnessed Kyuubi's expression. That was priceless.

I stared at the tomato again. I could almost feel the burning from the next moment in the flashback. I couldn't control my own body. At least, it was numbing now. I closed my eyes, drawing up my head to the dark sky. The breeze made my bangs slide across my face. Suddenly, a quick surge of chakra appeared then seemed to disappear with how fast it was moving.

My eyelids flashed open as I witnessed a figure along the roof. The person jumped down, hidden from sight. I didn't understand what compelled me to go where the figure had landed. I crept along the side of a building and glanced around it. When I noticed the figure was so focused on his hand, I chanced a few feet forward. Still the figure didn't notice.

Must have a lot on their mind. I stepped forward more. _If this person had that much power than I originally sensed, why was I approaching him so easily?_ It wasn't just easy, but it felt like he wouldn't injure me, but I couldn't possibly know that. I studied him when I neared him and stopped. The chakra reminded me of not just one person, but two.

It felt like... Naruto's, and Kyuubi's. "Dobe?" I asked, only to receive a cold response and a tense of the figure's shoulders.

"No, Kurama." It was deeper than Naruto's voice, yet not as deep as Kyuubi's (it was closer in relation to Naruto's than Kyuubi, though).

I recognized that name from somewhere. I remembered what he was said to have done and how many have fallen victim to his hands, even the ones from Konoha. I've overheard some Anbu that they didn't trust him, yet he was one of the best they've seen, or even heard about. They didn't particularly know if he was actually on our side, but they hoped he was. The only ninja from Konoha to fall to Kurama was the one that turned on the whole team.

Kurama just got rid of the trash, not bothering to bring him back for questioning. They said that he could "sense" when someone wasn't doing what they were supposed to do. I only caught a glimpse of Kurama's back just before he disappeared in a whole tornado of air.

If it were Naruto, I couldn't just ask and get an answer. I'd have to find people that most likely would know about it. The first one to come to mind was Tsunade, but I threw that idea out. I don't think Tsunade would know, especially with the missions I've been told he did/been doing. Even if she did, she wouldn't answer me truthfully. There was always Kakashi, but that might not be the best candidate to ask.

He'd think I care about Naruto, which in fact, I only want to use the new information to sabotage Kyuubi in some way and to show that I knew something that everyone didn't. At first, it was to pretty much screw up Naruto's life, since nobody could be that happy. I had witnessed him crying when he was real young for some reason, yet you look at him now and all you see is happiness.

I wanted to know how/why he was so happy, but now it escalated to getting back at Kyuubi as well as accomplishing the prime reason I started.

I smirked slightly as my brain connected Sai. Naruto never wanted to help train anyone, let alone someone that didn't have a clue what to do or that called him "dickless."

Sai felt easy enough to beat some sense into, if it came down to it. He'd probably be easier to tolerate than Sakura, who I doubted knew anything about Kurama's true identity. He'd also be easier to pry information out of than Kakashi, that is, if they knew anything. Sai's the main suspect, for now.

. . . .

I guess I'll pay him a visit, then.

* * *

 ** _(Next Time: Sasuke confronts Sai in Sai's apartment, and you learn something about Sai's past, or what he only remembers.)_**


	25. Chapter 24

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Tell me where I can improve, it'll help greatly. Thanks readers, and I'm trying to post up quickly, but - unfortunately- it's not going as planned.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 24**

 ***Sai POV***

 **. . .**

I was in the apartment that I lived in when I heard a knock. _Who is it?_ I stood and went to the door, half expecting someone to come barging through. Luckily, it stayed locked and closed until I reached it. No one visited me, except for the occasional visit from Naruto, but that was always during the day and about training, or actually once it was ramen.

I just saw him start running across the rooftops, so he wouldn't be at my door. I used my senses, like I've been taught, and sensed another one of my teammates. It was the emotionless Uchiha Sasuke. I threw open the door, typically I didn't answer the door unless I knew them or their reasons for being there, but this was one of my teammates. "Hello, Sasuke, what a surprise." I smiled weakly. Before I could ask what he was doing here, he brushed past me into the apartment.

I didn't even pretend to smile when he started to look along my bookshelves with a cold expression. I frowned as I closed the door. I attempted to start a conversation, but I didn't know how to. I gazed to a book on my bed. _How to Start Conversations for Idiots_ , was the book title. Maybe I should have read that. I sighed as I sat back at my desk.

"Make yourself at home then." I said, going to work on my painting; picking up the paintbrush, I ended up nearly dropping it again when I heard my teammate's voice.

"Do you know about Kurama?" His calm voice asked.

I shook my head, refusing to open my mouth in case I accidentally gave away anything to the last known Uchiha, as far as I knew. Other than perhaps his brother, was it Itachi? I dropped that. I didn't need to know that person, especially when I needed to befriend the ones near me first. Before I knew it, Sasuke was before me and whipped out his hand to hit the container that had my ink in it.

It spilled over the paper and down my front. I snapped to my feet and let out a surprised sound. "Wh... What was that for?" I tried to remain calm, even though I've spent hours on that. It was the only thing I remembered from my earliest years in childhood, and it was almost done.

"You know more than you let on," he stated, staring me down.

My eyes shifted to the floor. _Eye contact_ , my mind reminded me. I made myself glance up, but regretted it. Red and black eyes glared at me. I looked away. I remembered that Naruto told me never to look into a sharingan no matter what. It was unpredictable and dangerous. A hand grabbed my collar and made my face turn toward the Uchiha.

"Tell me what you know."

"I-I-" I started, eyes darting everywhere, but those eyes. "All I know is that he's from this village, Konoha." It wasn't all I knew, but it was all I thought was necessary at the moment.

Sasuke didn't look even the slightest convinced. "What's the relationship between Kurama and Naruto?" He snapped at me.

I knew a lot more than most people did. I didn't say that, knowing it wouldn't end well for either of us. "I don't think they even know each other. Why not ask Naruto?" The next thing I knew was that I was on the floor with Sasuke standing over me.

"They're the same person, you know that." He snarled.

I bit my lip and stared at Sasuke's feet. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I told you all I know." I stated as I boldly looked up. I rose to my feet as my eyes caught the black ink running off the desk. "Even if I knew anything else, I wouldn't tell a snob like you." I clamped my mouth shut, shocked at my name calling, which was actually not the opposite of that person in front of me. Then, with another glance to the paper, I got the fire back. "I'm asking you to leave willingly, Uchiha Sasuke, or else."

Sasuke growled, but I raised a finger. "Anger is a dangerous ally." I told him. "Now, if you please, leave this apartment before I force you out."

Sasuke made no move to go to the door, so I grabbed his arm and led him to the door. I shoved him out when I opened the door. With a small smile, I bid him goodnight, shut the door, and locked it. I slouched against the door and frowned. _Did he actually think I'm really that weak that I would give up anything to save myself?_ I did owe Naruto my life, multiple times.

The last time he- well, at the time I thought his name was Kurama- rescued me from a bunch of robbers. I forgot what they wanted, but they ended up unconscious in the next moment. Kurama- Naruto, whichever he wanted to be called- and I had a small conversation. I was looking for a place to go, and he knew a place. I didn't realize that he lived there, as well.

I guess I was safer here than where I was. I walked over to my desk and picked up the good supplies, placing them on the chair. I lifted the painting up so I could examine it. It was supposed to be me with a group of people. It was a big place with people as far as I could see, or what I suspected since young children's minds seem to exaggerate or at least I've been told.

It seemed to be a party. Balloons were everywhere, as well as cake on separate plates around a table so large that it stretched out to beyond the paper. In front of me, there was a kid the same height as me, but I didn't know even the gender. I couldn't remember even what they looked like. It was only a silhouette of a kid. That's what it was supposed to be, but now it was a blob of black.

The ink barely missed the silhouette of the child in front of me. I put my finger to it, even if it was still wet. _Who are you_ , I wondered sadly. I crinkled up the paper and threw it in the trash. I wasn't going to do this again; it'll never be right. I cleaned up the desk and looked around the one bedroom apartment with a small bathroom to the side. It was smaller than Naruto's, I noticed, but not as great as Sakura had told me she wanted in her house when she got older.

She had grand ideas for a house, despite it being unrealistic, I agreed with her. It would be marvelous to have something that huge, especially when you grew up with nothing. I couldn't even afford my apartment; Naruto had found it and paid the rent for me, since I couldn't do any type of missions like he could.

Suddenly, a pain in the middle of my shoulder blades sent me doubling over. It was like before, when Team Kakashi, without Kakashi-Sensei that is, were found by the... _Akatsuki, was it?_ I had a terrible pain, in the same place as now, which caused my body to fall, and my vision to be black. I rose what felt like moments later, which technically it must have been at least ten minutes, and found myself at the village.

I learned that Naruto had carried me. I honestly thought I could get through the burning pain, but I stumbled into my desk. I groaned, collapsing to the floor. I wished it stopped. My vision faded, and I awoke again in my bed. I groaned again, rolling over. The pain was still there, but it was slowly disappearing. I had to control my breathing as I glanced up to my clock.

Four o'clock in the morning. I yawned; I had to get up. We had a very early training session today, both Kakashi and Naruto did. I couldn't find myself to rise just yet or even wonder how I got into the bed in the first place. I pushed myself to a position that allowed me to sit. My eyes adjusted to the light change from darkness to a little lighter. The lights weren't on, so it didn't take much. I noticed my book on the floor and reached to grab it.

I sucked in a breath, but still retrieved it to place it on the side table along with my clock. I waited a bit, starting to get curious as to what Naruto would want me up so early to train. He was always late, but he didn't give those excuses Kakashi-Sensei gave. I can't even explain why I addressed Hatake Kakashi as Kakashi-Sensei, since he didn't teach me.

It's just comes out easier, or perhaps it was Sakura. She always called him that, maybe it was rubbing off on me. Hopefully her drawing skills don't rub off on me. No offense to her, but she couldn't draw to save her life, when she asked me if her current works were good, I just shrugged. I didn't want to upset her, since she could get somewhat violent.

Just don't tell her that anger is dangerous in it being an ally, she nearly threw a table at me for that. I have grown accustomed to her anger, well I think it was anger, but it still scared and confused me slightly.

I'm just glad that I have her as a friend and not an enemy.

* * *

 ** _(There's a lull in the fic for a bit, so I put in a sort of challenge for Sakura, Sai, Sasuke, and another unnamed person - in the fic. Next Time: A training exercise, 25 chapter leading up to the group training. Then, more Gaara and Naruto in the 27th chapter. This fic has quite a bit of foreshadowing, so just be prepared to get few hints toward the past.)_**

 _Reviews/SlightSpoliers:_

Kris Awesomeness: Not too bad this time.


	26. Chapter 25

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Thanks everyone, just hold in there, more interesting parts in the fic soon! P.S. this chapter isn't too important; it's just there.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 25**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I was up and ready as soon as the clock created that very horrid ear-slitting noise. I wanted to train with Kakashi earlier, therefore spar with Sai longer, but my plans changed drastically. I was going to purpose a challenge for the jonin.

I had to talk to Kakashi.

Instead of going to our meeting spot, I headed for his apartment. He could be worse than me at showing up on time at times. I've never really been at his apartment, but I wasn't going to wait forever for him to get up. I jogged to his apartment, at least where I thought it was, since no one was out to notice me yet.

I knocked once. _This should be fun._

 **. . . .**

 ***Sakura POV***

Lady Tsunade had canceled our training today for some reason, and she had told me to go with Kakashi-sensei for it, instead. I stifled a laugh at the time that she gave me to be up by. Kakashi-sensei would never be up this early. Despite my knowledge of his lateness, I made my way to the training grounds at the exact time that she instructed me to arrive on.

"Just because he is late, doesn't mean you have to be," my instructor had said when I complained about it.

I walked to the meeting place, catching a glimpse of the two raven haired boys. I hurried over and smiled at them. "Hey Sasuke, Sai." I tilted my head slightly when Sai was uncharacteristically silent. Yes, he wasn't particularly very talkative, but he always said hello to me nowadays. I frowned faintly. "Sai?" I started to speak, but stopped, eyes widening.

Sai knitted his brows together in confusion and glanced over his shoulder to see an astonishing sight. There was Kakashi-sensei and Naruto. He must be feeling the same thing as me because we could only stare at them. _They were on time?!_ Sasuke sported his disinterested look, but raised a brow at something- no someone- next to them. I recognized it to be Neji.

I was so puzzled that I barely saw Sai edge around me. He wasn't exactly great with people, just like our whole team. I could have giggled at that thought, but caught myself when Naruto started speaking with his normal smile. "Hey guys." His voice cheerful, as usual.

That always made me hesitate. He was _always_ , every single time I witnessed Sai's practice, different. He was much more serious and less, well... happy.

Naruto continued. "We all are going to..." He tilted his head with a slight smirk. "Partake in a little exercise."

"What are we doing, sensei," I asked Kakashi-sensei. I didn't really know why Naruto was talking, while sensei was there.

He shrugged one shoulder. "It was Naruto's idea."

That answered my question, and a horrid realization hit me. _Naruto's idea?_

 **. . . .**

 ***Naruto POV***

"It was Naruto's idea."

Haruno froze when Kakashi said that. I couldn't hide my smirk. She knew my problem with training, and she was probably expecting the worse. It was strange to walk on them, being actually almost on time for once. Haruno was both astonished, surprised, and obviously confused, especially from her face. Sai's face showed less of his puzzled emotion, but it was there.

Sai also seemed relieved, oddly. Uchiha's emotions were well hidden, except for the anger that seemed to drape over the boy like a blanket.

"Alright," I chimed. I still hated my persona, but it was more important to hide my other identity more than ever. Kyuubi's fight for power had left the villagers angry and on edge, as well as the Hokage and her suspicions. I needed to play it safe. "Sai and Sakura, you're on a team, and Neji and the bastard are on the other."

Uchiha growled at me with a look that told me to leap off a cliff. "Why do I have to be on a ' _team_ ' with him?"

The male Hyuga added, "When, clearly, they're at a disadvantage."

I pretended to think, raising a hand to my chin. "Hm... Perhaps, since the Uchiha needs to learn to work with a team that he doesn't like and because they're great together." In more ways than one, actually. Once I had Sai and Haruno fight against me, and it actually gave me a surprise. I had to really watch their movements to prevent them from hitting me.

Uchiha's dark eyes narrowed even more at my comment, but I continued. "The objective is to retrieve the bells," I showed the bells that I swiped from Kakashi. "From either Kakashi or I." Uchiha crossed his arms, glaring at the Hyuga, which satisfied me. Haruno and Sai shared a look, both happy with my decision (from sensing their emotions and reading their expressions). Kakashi chuckled lightly at the two scowling boys.

"The rules are: that you must try to defeat the other team, while trying to get the bells, and evade Kakashi and my attacks. If someone beats you in the fight, no matter who it is, Kakashi, the other team, or by me, you must come back here and sit." I gazed around the people that were assembled in the training field. They seemed to understand at least. "However, there's a catch."

I hated talking so much. "After the other team is defeated, you will be against your own teammate."

. . . .

"Go," Kakashi told them after my briefing. I was gone in the next second, along with Kakashi trailing me. We soon ran side-by-side in silence. I could feel his eye on me, but I didn't speak. I was thinking. I suddenly made the signs to create clones. Ten clones came out, along with the original me, so eleven all together. "There're close," commented Kakashi.

I nodded once as my clones spread out; I could sense them all closing in. Either the Hyuga or Uchiha would be the probable winners, since Sai was less experienced then them, and Haruno wasn't as fast as them. Plus, they had something both Sai and Haruno didn't. They had their eyes: Hyuga with his byakugan, Uchiha with his sharingan. However, Haruno and Sai, as mentioned before, were great as a team.

Haruno had enormous strength, and Sai could be unpredictable, in both a positive way and a negative way. It could be anyone, hence the reason I made the teams in that way. If I was on a team, it wouldn't be exactly fair, maybe if everyone was against me..? Now I want to find that out. _Dang it_. I pushed my thoughts out of my mind, so I could focus at what I was doing.

"Spread out," I pointed right. "They're over there, heading this way."

Kakashi shook his head when I tried to hand over the bells. "You keep them."

I had to shrug at that, so the "training" was going to really begin.

* * *

 _ **(Next Time: The group practice, which you all could have suspected.)**_

 _Reviews/"Spoiler":_

Kris Awesomeness: thanks for the continuous reviews, tell me how I could improve (anyone can inform me of my faults). Yeah, it does stink, but eventually Sai finds the boy he remembers.


	27. Chapter 26

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 26**

 ***Third Person* (recognize that it is in no one's POV)**

 **. . .**

Sai and Sakura ran beside each other, feet hitting off the ground soundlessly. With a look toward the raven-haired boy next to her, Sakura received a tight smile. Suddenly, a body smashed against Sai, causing him to skid across the dirt. Sai winced a bit as Sasuke kept running past him without as much as a glance his way. Neji followed soon after, dodging Sakura's fist.

"Sai, they're after the bells!" Sakura yelled as a bright yellow head flashed into their view.

"You mean these?" Naruto teased, flaunting the bells over his head. Sasuke and Neji started toward him, but Naruto just smirked. "Alright, I'll take that as a yes. Well," he paused as he chucked the bells far away. "Go fetch then." Sasuke took after them instantly. Just before his fingers brushed the discarded object, a kick to his back sent him on his head with a hiss. His eyes swirled red when he turned to see Naruto behind him and smirking.

He twirled the bells, threw them up, and caught them. He grinned as Sasuke attacked him by himself. Naruto easily dodged a foot and laughed. "You missed! Why are you so slow?" He teased, jumping from foot to foot.

Sasuke growled at him, viciously. Sai gazed over to Sakura, who helplessly stood as she watched Sasuke continuously miss his target. Sai darted at Sasuke, who was too involved with the obvious clone of Naruto's to see the incoming attack.

Sai's fist connected with Sasuke's head, causing the other boy to fly forward into the clone Naruto's outstretched hand. Sasuke ended up spinning around from the impact with a groan. "If only you had a team member," the clone shook his head and chuckled as Sasuke growled.

The original Naruto whistled as the clone threw the bells in his direction. He easily caught them and ran off. Sasuke went to go after the blond boy, but two clones blocked his path. "Leaving so soon?" They chorused, voice laced with false sadness. Naruto was royally pissing off the Uchiha now. Sasuke refused to work with Neji because of it. Naruto couldn't be that good. He had to have a weakness, some quirk.

Sasuke went to go forward just as Sai heard a rustle behind himself. Sai immediately ducked to avoid the hand that was located right where his head had been. The hand, however, didn't stop. It continued to collide into Sasuke's cheek. The clone flipped over Sai to land between them. "Let's see if you can keep up." The three clones smirked, while they ran off in a rush.

Sasuke rubbed his abused face with a scowl. He went in the direction that the _original_ Naruto had gone off in. He didn't expect to see ten Narutos staring from the trees. They all ran off in different directions in a confusing pattern, eventually some meeting each other and passing something- no, the bells- among each other. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he jumped toward the clone that just received the bells.

He ended up on the ground again. This time it was Sai attacking him. Sasuke ducked to escape a blow and swirled around the side of his opponent. About to land a hit of his own, Sai dove to the ground. In confusion, Sasuke hesitated just for a fraction of a second, only realizing he should move when he saw a fist smash into the middle of his face.

After landing the punch on Sasuke, Sakura went for Neji, who dodged. He kicked her feet from out from under her, but Sai was there to hold her on her feet. Sai had enough time to take out a kunai and throw it in Neji's direction. The Hyuga had to flip backwards to land out of reach. Sasuke went to attack when Sai wasn't paying attention, but Sai, who trained with Naruto, knew to keep an eye on all of his opponents.

He grabbed hold of the hand aimed at his shoulder, and with a shove, Sasuke stumbled once. Once he regained his balance, Sai's knee rushed to Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke let out a grunt and maneuvered himself away from Sai. It seemed he underestimated the artist. Sasuke only had one objective in mind, though. He wanted those bells. He would get them, too.

Sasuke sped off with Sai and Sakura hot on his heels, and Neji coming up beside him. His dark eyes flashed red as a clone dropped down in front of him with the bells in his mouth. The clone tilted his head with a smirk, removing the bells from his lips and throwing them up. Sasuke's head snapped up as another Naruto leaped over them and took it.

Neji was the first to react, going ahead of the Uchiha. Sasuke followed suit, but ended up rolling down a hill from an attack in his back. He reached his feet again, but a fist struck his back once more. Then, a huge weight landed on his head and down he went. His now dark eyes fluttered open when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You're out, take a seat." He heard Kakashi's voice tell him.

Sasuke growled low, but did as he was told. He couldn't believe he lost, let alone at the hands of Sai and Sakura. He plopped quite un-Uchiha-like on the ground in the clearing. Arms crossed, he attempted to burn the ground with his gaze.

. . .

Sai had punched Sasuke down the hill, and then, he moved out of the way, so Sakura could land a hit. After her hand connected, Sai jumped over her and collided with the other boy's head. It was a slight accident, but Sasuke had gone down, so their job was done. Both Sakura and Sai gave a glance at the Uchiha's still form until they saw Kakashi-sensei appear.

They instantly remembered that they could get beat by Kakashi, Naruto, or now just Neji to lose the exercise. "Neji's left," exclaimed Sakura. Sai flashed her a small smile and nodded. They had to get Neji down, and then it would be both of them fighting. Sai didn't really spar with Sakura before, so it would be a new experience. They ran side-by-side as they scanned the area for a sign of the Hyuga.

Sai noticed him before Sakura and took the lead.

. . .

Naruto watched his clones run around the four... contenders..? He shook his head, jumping away from the mass pf clones to a quieter place. He settled down on a massive tree branch. He studied his sword, unsheathing it as well. He had went over to Sai's place, since he had a feeling Sasuke would "visit" him. He arrived only to see Sai asleep on his bed.

He didn't appear injured, but he seemed to be having a terrible nightmare. With that, Naruto left.

Naruto closed his eyes, listening to the fighting nearby. A clone of him darted past and winked at him. Naruto could have rolled his eyes if they weren't closed. He could sense the clone's silent chuckle, and the clone went off, back to terrorizing Sasuke. Naruto's blue eyes finally opened when Kakashi dropped down next to him. "Having fun?" Kakashi asked, amusement clear on his features and his emotions.

"Totally." Naruto stated, rising from his tree. "Seems Sasuke's out." It wasn't exactly a question, more like a statement. He narrowed his eyes at his sword as Kakashi gave a nod. _Good. Now we're going to have a little talk._

Kyuubi's laugh echoed in Naruto's mind. 'Well, this day just got better.' Ignoring him, I handed over the real bells to Kakashi.

"Be right back."

. . . .

Sasuke kicked out a foot. He was regretting not teaming up with Neji. They would have easily won, but Sasuke's ego and anger got in the way. He grumbled to himself. This wasn't helping him. He went to stand, but hesitated when he saw the blond head appear out of the forest. "Hn, what are you doing here, dobe?" He stated, relaxing a bit, even if he was uneasy.

Naruto picked up on his uneasiness, but didn't care. He calmly sat down. Silence filled the clearing until Sasuke shifted, uncomfortable. "Wh-what do you want?" He tried to keep a level voice, but the silence was unbearable. It made Sasuke feel like he was being strangled again. His eye twitched a bit at the silent stare. " _What_ ," he hissed. "Do you _want_?"

Naruto tapped the flat side of his sword against his own leg, eyes drifting to watch. "What did you do last night?" Sasuke didn't respond, but Naruto continued anyway. He smiled the false Naruto smile. "I'm curious as to what you've been up to. Care to _enlighten_ me?" He hissed the word enlighten.

Sasuke froze. He wouldn't admit it, but he was a bit frightened. He glanced to the ground, but then back up with his normal glare.

'Just get rid of him-' Kyuubi started to persuade Naruto, but he was once again ignored. Naruto was still not talking to the horrid fox; therefore, he wouldn't do what he wanted. Naruto made his face soften, as well as his tone. "Weren't you visiting Sai's last night?" He appeared innocent and curious. None of it reached his eyes, but no one could tell.

Sasuke cocked a brow at him. "That's none of your business, is it?" He remained calm on the outside, but Naruto could sense the fright and anxiety, well he thought they were.

Naruto leaned in close, face less than a foot away. "I know you were, and let's get this straight. You harm him in any way, and you answer to me." He leaned back as he felt someone walk into the clearing. Sasuke blinked. He didn't like that tone. He shivered a bit, but masked it as Sai sat down next to Naruto. His face was now unreadable. "Who got you out," asked Naruto's teasing voice.

The tone was so much different than the one he just used on Sasuke, but it wasn't the one he sported with Kyuubi. With Kyuubi, as of recently, was filled to the brim with hate. Sai sighed a bit. "Kakashi did."

Naruto bumped his shoulder with the pretty much always false Naruto grin. "At least, you lasted longer than Sasuke." At that, Sasuke growled, causing Sai to stiffen slightly. Naruto grew a little annoyed, but it didn't show, since his persona had to be so dense. Once more, he wondered what compelled him to have the ditsy, loudmouthed, blond for his cover-up. "I wonder who'll win, Sakura or Neji," laughed Naruto.

He rose to his feet and flashed the Naruto grin another time. "See ya in a few!" He disappeared into the forest. Sasuke instantly glared at Sai, who remained impassive.

"Yes?" Sai asked with a monotone sounding voice.

Sasuke growled low and grabbed him by his neck. "You piece of-" He paused, remembering Naruto's threatening. He instantly released the other raven-haired boy with a scowl. "You know something, don't you?"

"People told me I don't." Sai stated, glancing to his hands. "All through my life, actually."

Sasuke's expression softened a bit. Instantly, he hid it behind a stoic mask. "Listen, about last night..."

Sai smiled forcibly. "Doesn't matter." He didn't care that Sasuke was so assertive; he did care, however, that he ruined his painting.

Silence hung on the area until Sasuke sighed. "Sorry about your painting." Sai smiled a bit and nodded. He knew that Sasuke wasn't normally the one to apologize. "It was uncalled for, and it seemed to have taken you awhile."

Sai shrugged a shoulder like Sakura did to him when they first met. He opened his mouth to speak, but Naruto's laugh echoed through the field. "Guess who won this time, guys!"

He cheered, seemingly joyful, as he sauntered up to the pair.

"It was Sakura~!"

* * *

 _ **(Next time: Gaara's appearance again. Sweet, finally Gaara's back, for a bit.)**_

 _Spoilers!_

Soon: Kakashi decides to talk to Iruka. Kankuro and Temari show up. Another Tailed Beast meets Naruto. Then, comedy in the fic sometime soon. Hope you're enjoying this, and I hope you stay with me.


	28. Chapter 27

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 27**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

My feet dragged; immediately, my weight shifted. I crumbled to the sand beneath me. My hands tightened around the sand as tears dripped down my face. I shook, uncontrollably, and unfortunately without my consent. The warm salty liquid flowed out of my eyes. Clenching them closed, I smelt a familiar smell. It was obviously two smells that attacked my senses.

One deep and almost forgotten, and the other that I faced everyday. Blood and... My blue eyes opened as a sob escaped my lips. I stared at the roaring flames in the distance. I was currently standing as my eyes couldn't believe what I was staring at. I drifted away from the scene, and all I could hear was the screaming. Eventually, I witnessed an angered yell directly behind me.

I whipped around and screamed out in agony as something pierced my back. I stumbled back. "Monster," a hiss came from in front of me. "Open your putrid eyes, I want to see you die." I shook my head once; it was the only thing I could accomplish. Then, I was falling inside a black abyss. My body spun in the air, twisting and turning without reasons.

. . . .

Suddenly, I heard a knock at my door, and I nearly plummeted to my floor. It was really early, or at least I thought it was until I saw the time. _How was it noon?!_ I stumbled out of bed with a yawn, and I sauntered to the door. My hands numbly found the doorknob. Unlocking it and pushing the door, I grunted once. _Oh yeah, pull to open_. I slowly brought the door toward me. "Hm, yeah?" I said, eyes somewhat closed.

I vaguely sensed Uchiha's and Sai's chakra. I knew that I didn't have to train today, so I couldn't comprehend why they were at my door. I didn't particularly care, even if I was desperately avoiding everyone. I honestly wanted no repeat of Kyuubi's outbreak, so I kept away. It was working until today. I yawned and made my way to the kitchen, not bothering to even close the door. I dug in my cupboards for anything I could salvage or be at least considered edible at the moment.

I placed the can on the counter and stretched. I felt confusion from Sai, and my blue-eyed gaze drifted over to the boy. I raised a brow. Sai, who must have got my question, asked. "Is that what normal people wear in answering the door?"

I shrugged as I glanced down. "Not usually, but who's normal here?" I faked the attempt at humor. I only seemed to be wearing boxers, but oh well. They'll get over it. I grabbed hold of the can, and I exhaled loudly. "What happened this time?" I knew something was up, since both of them felt on edge to me, and they both were together.

The Uchiha was the one to speak this time. "It's Gaara; she's gone."

"Of course, she is. She left with her brother and sister a while ago." I haven't had time to talk with Gaara before she left, which was probably best. She most likely hated me to the core, just like the villagers of Konoha. My sleep deprived brain didn't assist in making me connect the next thing I heard, though.

"They came back yesterday."

"She's missing, Naruto." Sai added. My hand slipped off the can, and it almost smashed to the floor. I caught it just in time.

 _Gaara... missing..?_

 **. . . .**

 ***Sasuke POV***

I eyed the blond boy before me. "You're taking this-"

"Well," suggested Sai. Naruto just left the can he was about to open a second ago by the sink. He waved us off, and I felt my anger spike. I remained calm as he collectively walked toward his room. Sai went to go after him, but I stopped his movement with a slight shake of my head. I knew for certain that Naruto would come out pretty quick. Quickly, the idiot appeared in the doorway.

"Let's go." He ordered.

I scowled at him. He doesn't have the right to order an _Uchiha_ around. Sai obediently followed him, while I waited. I am _not_ taking orders from him.

. . . .

Somehow, I found myself side-by-side with the bossy idiot with Sai on his other side, which happened to be Naruto's right. I exhaled loudly, as Naruto picked up his pace. "Since when?"

"Since when, what?" I snapped slightly.

Naruto glared a bit. "When was Gaara last seen?"

I didn't respond. I turned my head away and huffed. The dobe kept to himself lately, and now, when Gaara's missing, he's instantly there. Shows he cares, doesn't it? I crossed my arms angrily. I guess I was still infuriated that I still wasn't aware of the relationship between Kurama and Naruto. I disliked the halt in my progress to find out the truth. Naruto just closed up.

It was as if he were just a mere switch, and it was flipped off. Naruto acted... Naruto like, sure, but it was different. It was as if he wasn't truly there in anyone's presence- almost like his mind was somewhere else. I turned my cold gaze on the blond boy, who seemed to not notice. However, Sai did, and I saw the wary look he gave both of us. "How the hell should I know?" I stated, venom dripping off my tongue.

Naruto - uncharacteristically- remained silent. He just gave me a slight shrug. I couldn't control myself as I hissed. Typically, he was the stubborn and hysterical one, not me. If anyone asked me to explain my exasperation, I'd blame it on Naruto. I had a taciturn personality, not him. His reticence annoyed the shit out of me, and I didn't know why.

It must be conjured up from his usual antics. He was the bubbly blond. The annoying loudmouth. _Not_ the annoyingly silent one. I opened my mouth to say something, but suddenly Naruto shoved Sai and I backwards. I landed on the ground on my back, while Sai landed on his left side. My anger dissipated as I noticed Naruto and the figure he just saved us- no, he saved Sai from, not me.

Naruto ducked underneath a hand and grabbed the figure's wrist to force them away. I reached my feet, as Naruto jumped back in front of me. His hand whipped and caught something out of the air. The object that nearly got me. My body refused to move for a few seconds, that is, until my eyes saw another person join the fight, and Naruto put up his hands.

 _He was surrendering?!_ I took a step forward, and then, I took another one. I was nearly upon them at that moment until the people disappeared, taking Naruto along for the ride. My blank mask started to crumble a bit. I was dumbfounded, left conjecturing what just occurred. Another moment passed, and Kakashi got into my view. Something started to shake me.

I was super confused. Naruto wasn't one to surrender. He couldn't gain anything if he left them willingly, would he? I shook my head and turned a glare at the two faces in front of me. " _Spineless_ ," I repeated Kyuubi in a growl and stomped away. "Hn."

 **. . . .**

 ***Naruto POV***

I had sensed something coming- actually someone- approaching, so I pushed back the two ravens next to me. The Uchiha and Sai went down as the person burst through. I ducked to escape the punch. I concentrated on another chakra signature coming my way. Alright, there was at least two nearby, most definitely there'll be more. I dodged a foot this time.

The person, who I encountered various times before, lunged at me, so I side-stepped by him. It was definitely a him, even if many did not believe the long-haired blond to be a hermaphrodite or something along those lines. I sensed, rather than saw, a shuriken aimed behind me. Instantly, I backed up and retrieved the weapon from the air before it connected with Uchiha's face. He did seem to need the attitude adjustment, but I seriously doubt it would work.

I noticed another person jump into the sea of people that just happened to be curious and were surrounding us. Another sprang forward, and I knew for certain that it would only be a matter of time that more arrived. I wanted- no needed- to stay conscious to locate where they were imprisoning Gaara. Therefore, I would know the direct position the place was.

I brought up my hands and stated. "I'll go with you willingly." I refused to admit I surrendered, and technically, this was merely a survival tactic. I attempted to assure myself. I placed my wrists together and offered them out. The action made not just my anger boil slightly, but my stomach churn. I didn't enjoy basically sacrificing myself to the Akatsuki, but I owed Gaara one.

 _For Gaara._ I grumbled in my head. Perhaps it would let her know that I seriously messed up.

'Seriously?' I heard Kyuubi initiate a very much one-sided conversation, which I ignored, blatantly. After a glance in my direction, the new arrival gave me his undivided attention, presenting me with the accustomed glare.

Itachi. I could have shook my head, but my blue eyes watched him blankly. After a few more moments, and after the constant anger and suspicion- at least I suspected it was- spreading off the observers, Itachi came forward.

Within a second, we disappeared to only touch down on a concrete floor. The floor was black and unusually clean for a prison. Yes, I deemed that we were in a prison, despite the actual knowledge of it being one. I followed them down a hallway and down another one to a locked door. Itachi opened the door, and we headed down a short corridor. Going right, my nose twitched.

 _Was that..? No it couldn't be._ I debated to question Kyuubi on it. However, he remained silent. When I needed him most, he was gone. _That horrid fox_ , I inwardly hissed. My senses also didn't pick up on any chakras within the vicinity, except for the Akatsuki members, that is.

My body turned cold, leaving me wondering what exactly occurred to Shukaku and Gaara, since I could smell Gaara nearby. Don't ask me how- oh wait, heightened senses! I ventured further into the dark hallway, and we reached a second door. Opening it, Itachi grabbed my arm and held me still.

"One false move, and you'll end up just like them."

 _Them?_ I curtly nodded, face masking over. I thought I was prepared for what I saw; however, I guess my judgement was off. My feet rooted themselves to the ground at the first cell. My stomach flopped. There was Gaara. I strained against Itachi's hand, and I succeeded in, basically, pulling him over with him.

"Gaara," I questioned, somehow hopeful that she'd respond, either positively or even negatively would help. She just glared at me, and I whipped back from her anger.

My mouth went dry as I ventured my free hand to wrap around a bar. I didn't want to leave. I felt this overwhelming urge to stay near her. I felt as if I was abandoning her if I allowed myself to be shoved away.

I tore my blue eyes away from her, and they drifted to land on the Uchiha. My cold gaze met his piercing one. "I want this cell." I angled myself toward the second cell, which happened to be next to the one that belonged to Gaara.

Itachi and I just stared at each other until he made a noise. "Hn." The cell that I wanted was opened, and I was forced inside. As soon as the door locked closed and the Akatsuki drifted out of sight, I pressed my face against the bars, next to where Gaara's head was.

"Gaara," I repeated, but her emotions were hidden from me. "Please, answer me." I was nearly pleading with her, and I didn't even do that when I was tortured on that one mission. _Nothing._ I frowned and turned around, back resting up against the bars.

My arms wrapped around my knees. I didn't know what I expected, but it wasn't the complete silence.

. . . . .

Three hours passed- or at least what I suspected it was- and I became restless. Kyuubi hadn't really mentioned anything. Same as me, he didn't have a clue how to react to this very situation. Both of us were stumped, completely perplexed about the situation. Finally, after my resolve to disregard the fox deteriorated, I found myself blowing out a loud breath.

 _Why can I not sense their chakras, and don't say that it's because I'm incompetent either._

'I have no idea,' grumbled Kyuubi's voice, red eyes narrowed. Neither of us appreciated the lack of any knowledge.

 _I'm going to see how many..._

'I bet you can't count that far.'

Kyuubi was really into it today. I crawled my way over to the door, face inching toward the bars bit by bit until the door at the end of the hallway smashed against the wall. Quickly, I ducked back and created an image of boredom, nothing suspicious. I heard footsteps pause near my door, and the lock clicked. My ears twitched; the door was unlocked.

My blue eyes drifted to the opening. "Come," stated a man with usual green-colored eyes. Kakuzu, I presumed. I stiffly reached my feet and followed after him. The further we walked away from the cell, the stronger the smell from earlier became. The door opened, and we took a left into a bright white hallway. Surveying the area, my heart sank.

Of all the places, it just had to be a hospital. My mouth snapped closed, as well did my hands. My whole body shook, and I was near to panicking. Kyuubi's hiss did not help ease my terror at the moment. My feet refused to move, rooting me to my spot. No, I couldn't- I _can't_. I choked a bit as the scent engulfed my senses. I could only imagine all the pain and suffering from previous hospital visits.

My mouth instantly dried up. "You fucking kid, move you little bastard!" A voice located from behind my back alerted me to the silver-haired immortal's presence, and I also registered that I was actually here for a reason. My heavy limbs directed my further into the smell. I could tolerate this. _Inhale, exhale._ I chewed my lip from screaming and darting in the opposite direction.

We finally arrived at a room, and upon glancing inside, I noticed a needle on the table. "Hurry up, so we can put you back."

I nodded and stepped forward, desperately hoping my hand ceased its shaking.

. . . .

It was a positive that the "checkup" only lasted a few minutes. If it lasted any longer, I would have flipped out on the outside, since somehow I remained perfectly calm on the outside, other than shaking severely. I nearly ran into someone else as I came out of the white corridor. I would have kept going, but my nose picked up the person's scent- not just a person, but _Gaara's_.

I whipped around as her pale gaze slid away from me. Her form continued down the hall, away from me, and closer to my fear.

That's when I lost it.

* * *

 _ **(Next** times **: Kunkuro and Temari finally discover Gaara missing and come to Konoha in search for her. Kakashi realizes that Naruto's disappearance allows him to have a reason to finally confront Iruka in chapter 30, which he uncovers something new about Naruto from Iruka. Gaara and Naruto's past slightly revealed in chapter 29 through the use of a dream/memories resurfacing.)**_

Reviews:

Kris Awesomeness: Not Killer Bee, but good guess, and I appreciate the compliments. Thank you.

Neon and the lost soul: Naruto didn't destroy Kyuubi's chance at freedom, but ends up - in the long run- to help him. Since this fic will have two parts, one in which is when Naruto is still eleven, and the other is when he recently turned fifteen, (I can't elbroate on the subject since it may ruin a big turn from part one to part two).

Breanna Clyburn: Alright, here's another chapter, then. Hope you like it.

Quick question for everyone: Who hated that Neji died in the series?


	29. Chapter 28

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (1st one is the main; I will involve the others. OR. What ever the majority is, I will do.)**

 **Chapter 28**

 ***Kankuro POV* -notice the person's name**

 **. . .**

It was nearly a week since we all made the trip from the Leaf Village to our own village, Suna. News had spread along Suna that Konoha ended up taking in a dictator that cared for nothing, but himself. I could only imagine what that... kid... was doing at the moment. Especially, when we managed to vacate the other village, that blond kid, that Gaara normally forced us to tolerate, was murdering innocents.

I guess I could realize why Gaara found a strange bond with the boy. Both were so bloodthirsty, at least it seemed to me. Gaara was beginning to act substantially better when we first met the blue-eyed whiskered shinobi.

Instantly, Temari and I were intrigued to find that our little- I wasn't exactly sure what I should call her anymore, _monster_? _sister_?- had an interest in something that didn't involve killing. Naruto had changed Gaara, somehow, and Temari and I, even Suna, agreed that it was the best thing that happened lately. Then, it occurred. Naruto went crazy and took control of the Leaf Village.

Then, she created a trail of blood that led all the way to Suna from Konoha. If she was just looked at, her sand would immediately crush its victim. Gaara used to entertain herself with the victims before, by this time was different. She killed with no plausible excuse. She did it in cold blood, more so than even before. Now, after the issue with the Leaf's Hokage was resolved, Gaara had shut herself in her room.

She refused entry to anyone, no coaxing would bring her out. No sound drifted from inside that room, either. Temari and I grew increasingly worried, but I was definitely not courageous enough to forcibly drag out the foreknown monster. One day, quite a while after we left the Leaf, and Temari was constantly complaining about Gaara's disappearing act, I happened to pause at Gaara's door.

My knuckles hit the door twice. There was no answer from inside. I preformed the same procedure three more times that day, yet silence still was brought forth from the room. That made me hesitate to knock once more. I did, though, and I received nothing, _that was peculiar_. By now, Gaara would have advised me to leave before she forced me to.

I placed my hand around the knob. "I'm coming inside," I stated as I turned the door. What I found made my breath leave me. "T-T-" I cleared my throat. "TEMARI!" I heard her running toward my frantic yells.

"What? What happened?" My blond sister had a fierce expression on her face, hand gripping her fan that happened to be behind her.

I numbly pointed to the room. "G-Gaara's gone." I didn't even mention that the metallic smell struck my nose. Temari's face, instantly, crumbled. We glanced at the dark empty room, and then, back at each other. "We need to find Gaara." I announced, even if it was unnecessary.

. . . .

Temari paced the kitchen, while I frowned in deep concentration. "Where would Gaara head to," murmured Temari. I rubbed my head. Suddenly, Temari stopped in her movement, and her wide eyes landed on me.

Both of us happened to be thinking the same thing because we headed in the same direction... toward the Leaf Village. I swear if that boy hurt her. I growled inwardly, despite not understanding the sudden strong emotion toward Gaara. Gaara is my sister, and- wait I said sister- yes that's what she was. She was my little sister, Temari's little sister, as well.

She may be one scary motherf-er, but she was indeed our sister. I retrieved Crow, and Temari and I moved out in a rather rushed pace. We didn't have any clue as to when Gaara left, or if she even when to the Leaf, but that was the only thing that came to mind. We just knew we had to _find_ her!

. . . .

We arrived in the Leaf, both determined and slightly stressed. There was always a possibility that Gaara wasn't here, but I was relying on my knowledge, (perhaps it was a grudge I don't know), of previous events. For some reason, my mind drifted to that Uzumaki kid. There was also a great probability that he lost control again, and I couldn't help, but worry.

What if Gaara was near him? She most likely wouldn't stand a chance the next time. I bared my fists as I located the blond boy's chakra. It was unmistakable and undeniably him. I wanted nothing but to tear him apart, after I found out what he did to Gaara. I'm pretty sure that Temari would agree fully with me, too, except we didn't go toward the chakra signature.

Instead, she went the opposite way. I hid my scowl, since I didn't need her anger directed at me. "We need rest," was her response to my unanswered question. I sighed, feeling twenty pounds heavier. She was correct. We didn't exactly rest on our journey here, and Crow could weigh a bit after a while. I had to fix that, I decided. Plus, the boy seemed in control today, so it wasn't a big rush.

We made our way to a hotel type building, and Temari retrieved money from her pocket for both of us. That was actually a good thing, since in my haste, I forgot any type of currency. We ended up renting two rooms directly beside each other. I didn't sleep very well, though. I heard a knock at my door, and I told the person to come in. It was only Temari, after all.

"Let's go, get dressed." Her voice had that sisterly commanding tone, and I knew I couldn't really argue with her, but I couldn't help it.

I chuckled. "I'm already dressed." I gestured to my clothing.

She wrinkled her nose at my attire. "You've been wearing that since we left. You need to shower... but since that won't happen," she released a long sigh. "At least change."

I rolled my eyes, standing. "Alright, alright, I'll be down in a few minutes."

. . . .

I met Temari at the entrance of the hotel and watched her teal eyes observe the civilians, how they went on it their normal lives without too much worries. I frowned, wishing for a moment that we didn't always have to risk our lives, especially the young kids. The kids were forced into grownups before they're even a teenager. Just look how that Uzumaki kid turned out.

He must have had a screwed up life when he was younger. Gaara wasn't much better. In fact, I didn't remember her that much when we were younger, as if she wasn't even there. I glanced at the blonde, teal-eyed girl in front of me. "Temari, we should go." We had a lot of ground to cover, and we should have mentioned our presence to the Hokage.

Temari was usually the one to remind me of such things, but she must have been just as confused as I was. Temari nodded. "Yeah." We both went down the street, side by side. It felt as if something was missing. We weren't the group of three. Gaara wasn't in the lead or even toward the back of our trio. She was the thing that we were both absolutely lacking.

I perceived that Temari detected the same thing since there was a faint turn of her mouth. We walked swiftly as the Tower came into view. We nearly arrived at our destination when someone appeared in front of us. It was that silver-haired one with the mask. The mask must mean something, but I highly doubt I'd ever find out.

My mouth opened, but before I could say anything, Temari cut me off. "We're here on official business, Hatake."

The man - _Hatake_ \- seemed to smile. "I see. May I ask where your other sibling is?" I wasn't sure if he noticed or not, but Temari and I both glared at him fiercely. Hatake chuckled lightly. "She's not here-"

"What did that _monster_ do to her?" I snapped out, surprising all three of us.

The Hatake guy sighed, not bothering to respond at first. "Who would you be talking about?"

"You know exactly who."

The man shook his head. "He didn't do anything to her."

Temari blinked as she heard a commotion nearby. The man's head snapped up, and instantly, he was running in the direction all the noise was coming from. My sister and I followed, a further distance away than I would have appreciated. The first thing I noticed was that blond monster, and next was the people targeting him.

I was torn on the side of silently rooting on the monster's demise at the hands of his attackers or willing him to survive. He may know where Gaara was or he might not even tell us if he knew anything. My anger started to boil. Either way would be a win for me. If he died, then so be it. If he lived, then he'd inform us of Gaara's location. He's the one that no one could trust.

 **. . . .**

 ***Kakashi POV***

I had a terrible feeling about today when I awoke, and I couldn't stand it or even understand why it occurred. The day went on its normal course, and no one seemed out of the ordinary. Then, I recognized two of the Sand Siblings. My curiosity was peaked, what could I say it was relatively boring since Kyuubi's takeover was resolved. I materialized in front of the two siblings.

Gaara was missing, I noticed before I arrived in their sights. I understood that they were here to locate the girl, but she wasn't there. Then, that boy- _Kankuro, was it?_ \- blamed Naruto. I observed their anger, and I assured that Naruto didn't even touch her. Naruto definitely wouldn't allow Kyuubi to even think about bringing the other jinchuuriki any type of damage.

I refused to narrow my eyes at the kids; they were merely afraid and desperately searching for their lost sister. Suddenly, there was a loud ruckus nearby, and Naruto's chakra illuminated from that area. Instantly, I rushed in his direction. Lately, I've been strangely protective of- not just Naruto- but my other students as well. I've unfortunately grown extremely attached to the three, now four.

I stopped dead in my tracks at the scene spread out before me. Not a second later, I darted forward to seize Naruto's wrist, but he vanished into the air. I paled underneath my mask. _Shit, what have I done?_ I couldn't keep pondering what Naruto's motivation for giving up. There were so many possibilities. For one, he could be on their side, which could be possible, or he could gain something from his willingness.

Also, Sasuke, I witnessed, began to show emotion. It wasn't any emotion that belonged on the stoic boy's features though; it didn't fit right with him, just like that evil smirk didn't connect with Naruto well. I approached the puzzled boy, placing my hands on his shoulders. I leaned down to study his face. "Sasuke," I stated, voice duller than it should have been.

I gently shook him. However, he still stared, unaffected. Sai stepped up next to him, lips tilting downward. "Is he alright?"

Suddenly, the young Uchiha's face morphed into pure hatred and disgust. " _Spineless, hn._ " All that anger in those two words struck me full force. Naruto's actions irked him, tremendously. I never witnessed this quite expressive response before. I stood up straighter as Sai's dark gaze grew nervous. "He should be back soon, right, Kakashi-sensei?" His lip was firmly placed between his teeth.

I couldn't give any support at the moment, since I couldn't explain the empty feeling I had. Something was about to change forever, and I absolutely sensed that there was most likely a horrible change heading our way. The new knowledge would possibly create turmoil in -at least- our village. I yearned for any realization, any assistance in discovering my lost student, and of course Gaara.

Without Gaara found, no doubt, Naruto would automatically go in search for her. He was usually unexpected, but I could predict one thing, though. He may not exactly recall this himself, but he does have extremely high expectations of himself and great loyalty to his friends, whomever they may be. He will protect them with his life and even more if he able to do so.

A shaky hand wound itself in my hair, and I mentally cursed it. _Stop worrying._ I needed to keep my composer; I must remain calm. Naruto could handle himself until I find him myself. Ruffling Sai's hair slightly, I flashed my eye smile at him, instantly resulting in him relaxing a bit. "Don't think about it; he'll be back before you know it."

A rare curl of the boy's lips pleased me. He nodded once, and with that, I drifted down the street. One goal in mind, it was essential that I spoke with Iruka.

I had to get this mystery down; it must be solved, and now was the best time to get it situated.

* * *

 _ **(Next time, which will be posted soon- right after this one I suppose if you readers say you want it quickly- : Slight insight to Naruto and Gaara's experiences as children.)**_

Review:

Kris Awesomeness: Thank you for the review and answering the question about Neji. Someone else feels that he shouldn't have died. Well, I'll do a bit of KakaIru if you want, but more so in Part 2 than part one, and in Part 3- which I decided to create- will basically be about a gigantic fight between Naruto and one of Orochimaru's "Ultimate Weapon Creation," not really much romance.

I have concluded that there will be three parts to this story, one when he's eleven, the second one when he's fifteen, and the third one when he's a bit older - not sure of the exact age yet, maybe around 17 or 18? I don't know yet.


	30. Chapter 29

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. I decided to publish this chapter now- instead of later. Well, I hope you enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (FemGaaxNaru main)**

 **Chapter 29**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

Rain descended from above, as if the sky was crying itself, not me. At least, it prevented anyone that would happen to pass me by- if the street wasn't deserted- to witness my obvious weakness. Something sloshed around my feet, resulting in my movement to cease. _Don't look_ , I coaxed myself. I didn't want to see it again. My blue eyes straight ahead as I awaited the upcoming pain.

However, it never appeared. The tug on my heart never came, my chest free of the tearing claws. The beast remained peacefully calm, trapped and locked away like before that night. The tranquil silence was unnatural in my head; there was no longer any constant howls or insults from inside my head. It was... just quiet, that was it. I chanced a step forward.

Nothing occurred, and nothing preventing me from moving. I continued, steps increasing in speed. _I was free!_ My speed reached a running pace. My feet effortlessly propelled me forward without the weight of the creature's attempts to escape. I kept running, only stopping when my feet slid across something. I fell, and my head smashed off the ground.

Vision swimming, I put out my hands to steady myself as I rose to my feet. The bright light overhead brought my attention upward. The sun illuminated the pale sand underneath my bare feet. My face morphed into a tight smile, expecting to find something in the distance.

I waited and waited, and as much as I waited, I knew the decision was misguided. Whatever I was looking for wouldn't come. I couldn't bare to leave, but the sun was burning. My gaze watched my skin redden to a very unhealthy color, and I gasped as the scorching heat struck me full force. Instantly, I dropped to the ground, struggling to breathe. The heat drilled my back as I fought to protect my head with my arms.

I squirmed as the heat increased, black forced its way into my vision, and I huddled in on myself. The pain continued, steadily getting worse, until there was none. The darkness stayed along with me until a soft glow brought my attention to it. Craning my head, I rolled onto my side. A bright glowing object burned in the distance. The flames rushed toward the stars.

I just stared; I couldn't tear my gaze away. Then, there was a scream. "Leave, just leave me." The voice made my eyes get misty. I whipped around, searching for the owner of that voice. I screamed for them, threw rocks down the hill, anything I could think of. They never responded. A flash of short brown hair sparked alive in my memory, a tattered object in one hand.

"Just go, I'll be fine."

I reached forward and crumbled to my knees, at least I suspected I did. However, when my eyes blinked closed, they revealed me standing in the next second upon opening, overlooking a fire. All I did was watch. For some _reason,_ a feeling of intense happiness flooded through me at the building in flames. A twig snapped behind me, and I didn't bother to glance back. I felt partially dead anyway.

Somehow, I found myself seeing a figure, and the figure with shoulder length hair started yelling something. I couldn't comprehend anything the child said. All I knew was that I tasted salt, and my nose ran. I outstretched my hands. A shove sent me reeling backward, and I coughed on the ash gathering on the hill. My eyes focused on the sky above my position on the ground, body still.

I ran a hand down my face after a short while. It came away wet and red. My tiny fingers slipped closed over it as names mentally slashed me. _Monster, demon, idiot, worthless, failure._ They rang, resonating around in my skull.

Pain erupted from my arm as a snap sounded. A hiss located by my head barely made me blink. I turned my head toward the voice. Nothing was in sight. I reached my knees, assisting my body with my one arm mostly. I studied the grass in my clenched fists. Then, the ground shattered, and I fell through. Something flashed and darted at me as I fell.

I attempted to evade the object, but it struck me nonetheless. Another followed suit, and yet again another. I couldn't hold in the screams any longer. The painful, agonizing screeches echoed with only me to hear. I didn't have the monster; it was only me. _Why, why do I deserve this?_

A flash of red snagged my attention, and the red ran down the walls that were out of my reach. A bloody hand print smoothed down the wall to my right, claw marks skimming around it.

"You deserve so much worse." A man's shadow lined along the walls. "You're not fit; you're defective."

Anger swelled up in my chest, but it was immediately diminished. I didn't have the creature anymore, and the anger was replaced with sorrow. The man was right. I hung my head, continuing to rush at the ground. If only I looked down, instead of shutting my eyes, I would have saw the white bed with restraints on it rushing at me.

 **. . . .**

 ***Gaara POV***

My feet slowly glided over the sand, effortlessly creating no sound at all. Continuously, my feet brought me forward with no destination in mind. Something cold and wet slid along my cheek, and I tilted my head up. My eyes stared blankly at the sky overhead, as the darkened sky released rain drops that fell on me. The sand slowly transformed into mud as the sky let go an uninterrupted stream of rain.

I turned my head down toward the ground with a frown. My tiny hands balling up into fists. Suddenly, my heart pounded wildly. 'Go to sleep.' A voice reached my eardrums, and my gaze frantically searched for the source. It sounded so familiar, so much in fact, that I felt I knew it, as if it was me.

My hand drifted to my pounding heart and gripped the fabric tightly. _It hurts._ I tightened my hand as flames burst in front of my face. I leaped back to avoid the heat. I scrambled backward, out of its reach. My pale eyes flickered left and right when a noise that vaguely resembled someone screaming in the distance. It reminded me of myself. That voice, _who was it_?

My eyelids closed as my body began to collapse in on itself. A pain engulfed my arm, and I ignored it. It was a normal occurrence, anyway. Going numb, my arm twitched, and I forced myself to my feet. I was currently standing in a hallway, a hallway that I knew I should loath, but I didn't. Something was established here, something important- no someone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed a flash of yellow dart around the corner. Laughter filled the air after the color was long and gone. I attempted to follow, but how could I? It was already absent from my view. My heart clenched, even if I knew it was for the best. In a blink of an eye, the hallway was alight in flames, and I just stood there. My body refused to move.

The ceiling caved in, and that's when I decided I needed to escape the place. I rushed forward, down multiple corridors. Flashes of the torture nearly forced me to break down, but I was long gone within myself. The next thing that occurred was that I reached a dead end. Glancing over my shoulder, the fire drew closer... and closer still. I stayed there as it swirled around me.

My heart beat faded as my head, filled with none of the voices I've known from my birth, went blank. There was nothing addressing me to only murder those before me; nothing to fear if it came out as I dreamed. The flames licked up my arm, and honestly, I didn't have to endure the pain, since there was none.

My eyes didn't close as the heat grew intense. The sand whipped around my feet. I hung my head, shoulder length red hair sliding down to shield my face. Fact is, I didn't care if I died, I didn't have any purpose here. I already had a decision, and I didn't feel like enforcing it. However, it was imperative that it be done. I staggered forward, eyes unseeing.

My foot slipped on something slippery, and I surged downward. Crashing to the ground below me, my hair was pushed out of my face, and eventually, I rose to my full height. Darkness surrounded me as I ventured forward. I caught small glimpses of shapes in the distance, but nothing of great significance. My feet deftly maneuvered me through the complete darkness without much problems.

From my peripheral vision, a soft glow of pale yellow directed my attention to it. Upon first glance, the light seemed ten times brighter than the original time I observed it, and it resembled a blob in shape. Slowly, it bent and swayed in the air to form something else entirely. It actually looked like a boy, in which I've known most of my life, all of his one life.

The boy's smile fit onto his face effortlessly, and he brought out his hand, outstretching it some. I automatically reached for the hand; just before my fingers touched his, the light dimmed faintly. Whipping back my hand, my heart constricted painfully at it. I understood of the danger I was placing on the light, but I couldn't help myself, hand inching toward him.

The boy, bright smile in place, allowed me to grasp his hand. I witnessed the light retract away from that one hand into the boy's chest, along with that the other light following suit. I pulled my hand back, but it was already too late. The light was retracted into his chest, and he had no idea. My eyes were wide as I tripped back a step, and the boy glanced to his chest.

The last of the light disappeared, as did the remainder of the boy. I slowly sank to my knees, and my once numb body, quivered with the emotional toll. It was all my fault; if only I stayed away, perhaps he would still be there. My hand gripped the fabric above my heart, and a tear rolled down my cheek. Head hanging low, I pushed up my sleeve to witness the red gash appear in my flesh.

It started at my elbow and down to the middle of my palm. "Just a small harmless test," the words rang out in the darkness. I clenched my hand closed, observing the blood that flowed over the side of my arm to fall to the floor beneath me. The sand countered and covered over the wound faster than before, but I didn't want it to. If the test was successful, then one could only guess what'll happen to the light next.

Cracking my fingers while I opened up my hand, I stared blankly at the red pool, which cascaded over my destroyed skin until the wound was healed. I was up on shaky legs in the next moment and forced myself further into the darkness. With one glance behind me, I journeyed farther away from what I suspected was the light.

 _It was for the best._ I nearly choked, vision not blurry- yet. I continued to walk, despite the coldness seeping into me. My gaze went skyward when, and only when, I saw my shadow from a light source. Apparently, it was the sun, but I didn't feel the heat anymore. I was completely insensible to the world once more, and I liked it that way. A rain drop landed on my cheek as clouds rolled over the sun, shielding it from the dastard's stare.

It was true, then; it was all _my_ fault.

. . . .

My eyelids cracked open faintly, and I sat up. Gazing behind me, I noticed him laying there on the cold floor. I crawled over to the bars, against my better judgement. I observed the blond boy in the other cell, slight bruises from the earlier confrontation between him and the Akatsuki visible. He was just like the rest of us now, unable to do anything and helpless.

He shouldn't have came to rescue any of us; he would have been a lot safer. My arm went in between the bars and subconsciously went for the boy. Pausing a few inches from his head, a frown threatened to appear on my face, but I immediately shoved it down. _It's your fault he's here, and it's going to be your fault when he's found._ I blew out a breath and backed away as far as I could go.

However, my eyes refused to glance away. I watched him sleep until his face contorted into fear, and he screamed out, loudly. I flinched, since I knew I was part of the cause. I didn't save him earlier, and now Kyuubi's gone. My fingers drifted to clamp around my head, my silent head that was filling with past memories and insecurities about the future, if there was any to begin with.

I shut my eyes, hoping to get rid of the images. It was all my fault; I caused this. I wasn't supposed to interact with him, yet I did, and he's the one receiving the harm. The creak of the door signaled the Akatsuki's approach. I just turned my body toward the wall. This was nothing for me. I experienced far worse than their "observations/tests." We all knew what their goal was.

They wanted to extract every Beast from its container and use it for their own desires. My ears picked up the unlocking noise of a cell, but it wasn't mine. It was next to me, and I froze. They couldn't have figured it out yet, and they weren't going to use Naruto for their first. I huddled in on myself.

It was all because of me. If I never reintroduced myself, he wouldn't care about me.

Now, he was going to get the full penalty for fraternizing with an enemy.

* * *

 _ **(Next time: Kakashi talks to Iruka for a little while, then finds two of his students in a home that belonged to another student of his- who was absent (aka Naruto's), ending up scaring the heck out of them in the process. Slight Humor- not really though.)**_

Well Happy Thanksgiving if you're from the United States, and if anyone else has a holiday in this month, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all for reading, tell me how I can improve, if you want a different pairing involved in here, or for me just to update sooner.

 _Also_ , this chapter may be scattered, but I do not want to give the whole past away- I want to hint at it. It may be confusing, but it is especially puzzling for our blond shinobi. As for "fraternizing with an enemy," Gaara believes it is all _her_ fault.


	31. Chapter 30

**(I don't own anything, but the plot. Before Chirstmas- or the 25-26 of DEC, 2015- I'll post a bit more. If you readers want an update soon, just tell me.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (FemGaaxNaru main)**

 **Chapter 30**

 ***Kakashi POV***

 **. . .**

I headed into the room, in which a Umino Iruka was being held for questioning, and I noticed the seals littering the man's body. My previous expression resurfaced, even if I attempted to hide my resentment toward Umino. On its own, it found it's way to my face, and I didn't bother to remove it. "Iruka Umino," I stated, voice somehow calmer than I expected.

Iruka tilted his head. "Pleased to see you again, Kakashi-sensei."

I held my tongue for a few moments, attempting to place my burning anger under a strained lock. I wasn't exactly successful, in my opinion. "Let's get to the important matters, and skip all the other formalities." I moved to the chair, but my body forced me to stand, too tense to sit down. "It's about Naruto-"

"Is he alright?"

The question actually took me by surprise. _Why would he care?_ I shrugged once. "That depends on what incident you are talking about."

Iruka shifted in his chair and frowned. "I didn't mean to attack him." He started, my glare shutting him up right after.

"Care to explain how you didn't 'mean to attack' my student?"

"You have to understand. I had no choice."

Underneath my mask my scowl was hidden, but my irritation showed slightly in my voice. "You had no choice, hm? You attack an eleven year old because you had no choice, nothing that could have prevented you from doing that?"

I stared at him from across the table, and I had to focus real hard to witness the other man's eyes water. "They threatened to kill him, Kakashi."

"So you took it in your own hands to do it yourself." I concluded, effortlessly. As Iruka nodded, I continued. "You knew he'd experience either a painless death or a torturous one, depending on your own decision on the boy's fate."

"Kakashi- understand-"

I cut him off. "He looked up to you, and you should have seen him after that day." My body shook faintly from the anger that swelled up inside, but it was barely noticeable, unseen by the chunin teacher it appeared. I couldn't believe Iruka would smash Naruto's trust and destroy him completely like that. "He believed in you, and he trusted you, unlike anyone else. Then, you attempt to murder him, probably to save your very own skin, am I correct?"

From that day, Naruto would have severe trust issues, more than before, and it was because of the despicable creature before me, who... _was now sobbing over on the other side of the room?_ "No, I wouldn't harm him unless it was needed... I knew he was injured that day, but I-I knew that I wouldn't stand a chance against him even then. I did it to give him more time before they-they found him."

Iruka's voice caught in his throat. "I had to deceive him, so he wouldn't trust anyone else. In this world, trusting the wrong people will get him killed. I couldn't bare that thought." His voice sounded so true, so miserable, yet it could be false.

I took a seat, and I leaned back some, taking in the information. There was always a chance that he was telling the truth. If so, _who wanted Naruto dead?_ That left a wide range of people. However, it was more likely that he'd lie to me for his sake. Many, even noble shinobi, result to this practice, but I never imagined Iruka to be one of them. I propped my elbow onto the side of the chair.

"Weren't your parents killed when the Nine-Tails attacked?"

Iruka hesitated. "Yes, but why does that matter-"

I exhaled softly. I did have suspicions about someone putting the teacher up to it. With my anger in full control- _now_ \- I questioned. "Do you have a grudge against Naruto for it?"

"No," responded Iruka automatically.

I nodded. "Why didn't you want to teach him, again?"

Iruka clenched his jaw. "... I thought it awkward to teach him."

"The one that made you an orphan."

"Yes, but I made a mistake. _We are human_."

My eye flickered to Iruka at his second statement, and I had to hide the smile. Naruto liked to say something along the lines of being a human, and it was in our nature to mess up, especially when Sai had an accident with a training exercise. Once he nearly took off Naruto's head after a failed attempt at an advanced aiming exercise.

"I got to know Naruto, and," Iruka's voice continued, but I was only listening with half an ear. I already made up my mind; he was telling the truth. I just had a feeling, and typically that feeling was right- well sometimes, and Naruto must have had a reason for trusting the man before me.

"I realized he was much different from what everyone depicted him as. He's just a powerful kid that wants to be noticed." Iruka's lips shifted down in a frown.

I rose from my chair. "Thank you, Iruka." I smiled, eye tilting upward in its own smile. The brown eyes blinked up at me, and I chuckled. I couldn't help it. "I believe you." As I turned to vacate the room, I felt something amiss. I was forgetting something. _What was it?_

"Kakashi, wait." I glanced over my shoulder when the man's voice started up once more. "Is Naruto nearby?"

I shook my head. "He's not even in the village right now."

Iruka snapped to his feet, causing him to hiss in pain at the pulling restraints and seals. "What do to mean?"

"When he gets back, I''ll bring him to see you." I promised, and this was a promise I wanted to keep. I broke so many, but this one was what I desired to accomplish, for some peculiar unknown reason. Perhaps, it was because of my previous promises left broken and thrown away, collecting dust in the deepest part of my mind, but who knows.

Iruka looked off to the side. "If he comes." Silence filled the room for a few minutes until Iruka spoke up one last time. "Do you know what he does during the night?"

"Yes, do you?"

"He became Kurama for a reason." I angled my body, maneuvering it, so I was currently facing him. Iruka's gaze was serious. "And he's not just in ANBU, either."

My visible eye widened. _What? What else did he do?_ I opened my mouth, but the words didn't arrive, so instead, I nodded my head once. With a wave of dismissal, I left the former teacher. I ran my hand through my hair as I tried to get my scattered mind together. On the exterior, I remained collected and "hip," as Might Guy would shout in his loud, exuberant voice. I shook my head.

I had so much to acknowledge now. Naruto's character was in so much more depth than even I expected. In fact, he might have more secrets than I did myself.

 **. . . .**

 ***Sasuke POV***

Eventually, I had calmed down. Well, it may or may not have taken me three days, but that's beside the point. I despised people that gave up, even if I was one of them every once in a while. That says a lot about me, doesn't it. I almost rolled my eyes slightly. While my legs were bent, both of my arms draped over each one. I glanced up at the blue sky, ignoring the two beside me, who were in a conversation about nothing important.

I couldn't fathom how they ignored the fact that people were captured - Sai's mentor - was most likely never coming back. I drew my knees close and rested my head on my arms that were still on my knees. Also, I couldn't forget that the idiot had willingly gone with my brother. I wished nothing more than to get my hands on Naruto and strangle him.

I didn't particularly need to dispose of my brother for the sake of the clan. It wouldn't bring them back. My parents would always remain under the ground, dead and lifeless. I couldn't help them when they needed aid the most, and I couldn't stop Kyuubi from taking over the village. Sometimes, I would describe myself as abject, completely and utterly worthless.

People call me a prodigy, yet no one understands my true capabilities. The dead last was more experienced and far greater in.. _No, he wasn't_ ; I won't claim that lie as the truth. One day, I will demonstrate my skills, and he'd be the one to fail, like any other time. He was the worthless one. I was much better, and everyone knew it! My dark eyes drifted close.

 _He couldn't be that "great," could he?_ I bit the inside of my cheek, and I questioned my so called teammates. "When do you think Naruto will get back?" My now opened- and narrowed eyes- slid to the two when I only received silence as an answer. "Or he'll never come back, that'll be even better."

Sakura had a knowing look, and I gave her one of my irritated gazes in return. I was not worried about Naruto's disappearance. I was merely annoyed that his departure affected Konoha so much. The villagers were more on edge and irritable, usually. However, as time went on, they began to seem happier. They seemed to forget the possibility of Naruto's betrayal, replacing it with the joyous death of the so called "monster," which my ears caught on so many lips lately.

Sai moved closer to Sakura and leaned around her to look at me easier. "Maybe a week or so?" He didn't give any reason for the week part, but I understood that it was most likely from my earlier suspicions about him, Naruto, and Kurama.

My stare directed away from the boy. "I hope not, it's been more peaceful without the deranged moron here."

"Don't talk about him like that, especially when he's not here to defend himself." Sai stated, sporting a small glare. He wasn't the one for showing much, so he was clearly angry with me.

My slender brow raised at him. "And I suppose you're going to do something if I do?"

Sai's blank stare countered my deadly one. I wouldn't back down from this nobody. The staring continued, even when Sakura told us to stop acting like children. Sai almost glanced away, and I nearly smirked, but hid it away, since he continued the stare. Our staring kept going for minutes with a few blinks on both of our parts, but never backing down.

Out of nowhere, a flash of Naruto replaced Sai, and I jumped at the ferocity in the red-eyed gaze, unlike anything I've ever seen. I turned away, bangs sliding over my face, shielding my eyes from the image, which seemed to be a mix of both the dobe and the monster, Kyuubi. _He'll regret crossing me_ , I grumbled inwardly.

. . . .

A few weeks passed, and there was still no sign of Naruto. Now, I was getting- no, not really- concerned..? I wasn't the only one "concerned," either. Our whole team was nervous, and the select few out of our group. I walked to the front gate of Konoha and waited with my hands in my pockets. And I waited. I didn't know what I was lingering there for.

By the end of the day, I was sitting in the dirt and still persistently abiding near the entrance of the village. _Why am I doing this? What would this accomplish?_ As the last remnant of the sun sank below the horizon, I decided it was the time I retired for the night. Along the way to my house, which was clearly all mine, I shoved down the paranoid feelings that had plagued me from the beginning of the day.

At my door, I hesitantly pulled open my door. Something did _not_ feel right. My head turned toward the west, where the sun was long gone. If Naruto was Kurama, he would have been back by now or something was dreadfully wrong. I slammed the door without making a move to go inside. Instead, I took off in the direction of another's house.

I made a big deal about watching for any traps or wards on the house this time, even if the action was unnecessary. I shoved the door open, the door rattling on its hinges, barely on anymore really. Gently, I closed the door behind me and went to the closet.

All the weapons were gone, and after a quick survey of the area, I understood why. They were all spread out again.

Making my way to the bed, I searched the weapons that lay hazardously thrown on the sheet. _No... No, not this one..._ After I found nothing that I wanted, I gripped the sheet and threw off the weapons to the floor in anger. I specifically remembered the weapon being here. I crouched to eye underneath the bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large piece of steel.

Reaching for it, I jumped and smashed the back of my head off the bottom of the bed. I whirled around and scowled. "What the hell Sai?"

Sai shifted uncomfortably, holding his one arm with his opposite hand. "What are you doing?"

I froze, unable to explain why- or the better word would be that I didn't want to explain myself. "Nothing," I murmured with annoyance slipping into my voice. Hopefully he'd get the picture and leave.

"You're going to go after Naruto, aren't you?"

I sputtered. "N-No, I could care less about that idiot!"

Sai's mouth slipped into a small smile. "If you say so, would you care if I do it then?"

I nearly growled at the slightly older boy, but eventually, I resigned with only a soft sigh. It would be reasonable for me to take someone else with me, even if it was for bait, but it would provide a distraction to whatever occurred when we got to _my_ destination. "Just don't get in my way."

Sai nodded, sliding to his knees to gaze under the bed. His blank eyes searched the weapons before us, and I ignored him for the most part. Stretching underneath for the weapon I was previously after, my hand was slapped away. "Don't touch that one." Sai's voice stated.

I scoffed at the weak artist. _How dare he hit me?_ I went to retort; however, Sai continued. "It has poison on it, as does that one, and I think... that one..?" With a hand, he pointed out the objects that didn't appear at all menacing or deadly. I raised a brow in wonder.

I couldn't understand how- or _why_ even- that Sai had obtained that knowledge, and I couldn't comprehend that he could smell the poison and I could not.

Sai reached forward, toward the weapon I just went for. "Naruto taught me," he effectively answered my question that I never realized I wanted the answer to. I ducked under the bed and observed where he placed his fingers.

Sai sniffed next to me, gently placing the weapon aside. "A poison can have various scents, some are distinctive and strong like those three, but others are harder to catch." He deftly skittered his fingers over another weapon, longer bladed and in - actually- _better_ condition than the one I originally desired. "I'm not that great at finding which ones are harmful, but this one seems alright."

Just as his hand clasped around the hilt, we both ended up jumping in surprise, smacking our heads off the bottom of the bed, as we heard, "Now, what exactly are my two wonderful students doing?"

. . . .

 ***Kakashi POV***

Book in hand, I watched two out of my four students raid underneath a bed that belonged to another teammate of theirs. I waited until they noticed my presence, which unfortunately- more like fortunately for me- they didn't acknowledge.

"Now," my voice drawled on. "What exactly are my two wonderful students doing?" I bit back a laugh, but a smirk appeared, hidden under my mask, as the two boys practically leaped out of their skin and made the bed lift at least a foot in the air.

Two pair of wide raven eyes locked with my one uncovered eye.

"We were- uh- We weren't-" Sai started until his eyes darted to the ground, while Sasuke glared at the other boy. If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed they acted somewhat like siblings just then. I allowed a soft chuckle to breach past my lips.

"Should I think of a punishment then."

"For what," snapped Sasuke, dark eyes boring into my one currently.

I tilted my head. "First of all, breaking and entering inside another shinobi's house. Secondly, the mess you've created in here, clearly leaving evidence that you were inside, and last -but not least- you weren't at your houses so I could take you _all_ on a trip."

At the word "trip," both raven-haired males snapped their heads up, confusion a flicker on each one of their faces.

* * *

 ** _(Next Time: Back to Naruto for a bit- and his small talk with Itachi (for some reason- or about who is more like it), and then Naruto realizes he needs to escape - in chapter 32. You end up learning more about Naruto's past. In chapter 33, Naruto thinks of a plan, finally putting it into motion, hopefully he doesn't get caught!)_**

 _Reviews:_

Kris Awesomeness: Oh, about the Part 3, I figured out how to incorporate more romance and more of the pairings. Once again, thanks for reading- and obviously the continued reviews.

the white wolf Haruka: Why thank you, here's the next chapter, not too exciting- sadly. Hope you still enjoy it.

As for the other pairings in this fic, I'm thinking NejiTenTen, ShikaTema, maybe ChojiIno and KibaHina..? some others may show up, but not too much I do not think.


	32. Chapter 31

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (FemGaaxNaru main)**

 **Chapter 31**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

My head pounded, muscles screaming after my mediocre attempt to pry my face away from the floor. _What happened?_ I groaned inwardly at the blankness of my mind, the events abruptly ripped from my memory for a few moments. Eventually, I gave up forcing myself into a sitting position, and I resigned to just laying on the floor on my stomach.

I barely heard the faint unlocking of my cell, the door opening and closing once more. I shivered as a flash of the white hallway and... Gaara being led down it rose to my attention. I do not know a hundred percent what occurred, since I may have blacked out some. My nose instantaneously twitched at a nearby smell- which had an absolutely delicious scent. Flopping over onto my back, I pushed my weighted head off the floor.

My eyes went directly to the noodles that lay discarded by the cell door, a noise from my lower abdomen forming at the sight. _Ramen_. I hesitated in advancing toward the food because my brain shoved painful flashes of the nightmare I just escaped from. I rolled over on my side and cowered into myself, teeth clenched tightly. Pounding feet echoed in my head as curses drifted closer.

Then, there was a scream, and pain. A soft drip of red rolled off the index finger as I struggled to get out of the holds binding me at my wrists. The needle approached in my vision, and I whispered a soft plea. _No, please._ Another yell in the distance, and the child with brown hair appeared along the long hallway. The child motioned for me to come forward, to follow.

My feet refused to move until a shove sent me through a door. " _Stay_ ," a voice commanded me as the brown haired child closed my world to darkness. I gasped, blue eyes flying open when something exploded in my stomach- directly where the scar was located. The dim lit cell remained unfocused for quite awhile as my chest expanded rapidly. My fingers dug into my temples.

 _What- just stop.._ "Stop moving," a chorus of different voices -of unique tones and loudness- resonated in my skull. My arm twinged, gaze sliding to the site of the agony. A skinny arm was brought forth, replacing my current arm, and the dirty bruised arm started to bleed, flowing in a perfect seal. The white hot pain seared the opposite arm. I bit down on my lip hard to prevent the howl to reach outside my body.

My muscles began to convulse, and I coughed harshly. The brown-haired boy resurfaced in my mind, slight smile in place. "Wanna play," a younger version of my voice questioned with cheer that felt so wrong. The other boy tilted his head and nodded, milky brown eyes -or what I suspected the color of them were- meeting mine. It was so much different than anything else I experienced before.

A soft ringing sound emitted from my throat, running around with the other chasing me. Darting this way and that way, along the bright corridors. With my fingers brushing against the wall, my whole entire body froze. I sat outside the small blond boy- which was most likely me when I was younger, a lot younger. Tears formed in the young boy's eyes at the scene behind me, and what I discovered was that I couldn't look behind me.

I couldn't even swirl my head around to receive a glance of what the boy was so afraid of. Sadness and - what I suspected was- despair washed over me from the blond boy. The cold dread filling into every part of me, creating every fiber in me to freeze. It pooled in the pit of my stomach, and I felt an intense and overwhelming sense of death. _I am going to die here._

The boy's thought reached me as if it was that moment in time, instead of years later. Two loud piercing cries filled the air, both quite similar, but one slightly deeper than the other, coming from far in the distance. My hand outstretched toward the blond boy, who continued to let the tears flow down his face. I wanted to assure him, but found myself just as lost and hopeless as him.

I only went to dart forward as large pale- almost paper white- hands grabbed the blond from behind and roughly dragged him away. Immediately, I slumped forward, smashing my knees against the floor as I felt wetness upon my cheeks. My hand rose from the air, hovering over my cheek, fearing what I'd find. I trailed my fingers starting under my eyes down to my chin.

There was no injuries I discovered along my jaw; however, when I pulled my hand away, it was a carmine red, a deep color that no matter what happened I would always recognize. I hunched over, the white light becoming too bright, and I cradled my moist hand, droplets of another substance falling silently onto it. My body shook with the silent tears.

 _Kyuubi, what is this?_ I attempted to ask the fox without the usage of words. There was no response, none at all. Just like any other time, when I required some reassuring or any type of answer, he was no where to be heard or seen. I shook on the cold floor of the cell, blue eyes sealed shut, the salty substance not reaching my eyes yet. _Kyuubi... Pl..._

 _Please answer._ There was nothing, and I hugged my knees. He never helped me. I buried my face in my knees, left side still pressed against the floor. I even used the word _please_ for him this time. I wanted to be so angry, but the same sorrow and despair from the younger me lingered. I wondered what I saw, and who were the two children with me. _Did they get out?_

My shoulders' quivering increased. I desired even the slightest scoff or low growl from Kyuubi, just some acknowledgement to show me he heard- that he seen what I seen. I mumbled something, even I sensed it was gibberish and incoherent. I was going to die; I was meant to die, or I expected my death. Questions erupted from my head, spinning round and round in a confusing pattern, untraceable and never solved.

 _Make it stop._ It was never this horrible before; in fact, after I awoke, there was no more nightmarish scenes that resurfaced. My bottom lip quivered along with the rest of my body. "Run, just leave!" The brown-haired boy stated, and he turned over his shoulder for some reason. "I'll be fine."

My tiny feet skittered away, causing me to frantically collide with the ground. My wide eyes stared back at the boy, who was far down the hall by now. A dark figure's hand stretched toward him, and I scrambled up to my feet. _Leave. I'll be fine. Just go... You idiot, no one ever wanted you! Why were you happy to see me, this was your fault! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!_

I sucked in a breath, hand snapping out to brush against the bars on the side of my prison, the cell I was stuck in. My eyelids screwed closed, and the tears that I withheld threatened to cascade down my face if I opened them once more. Bubbles of the liquid formed at the corners of my eyes.

"Time to take out the trash," a cruel laugh by my ear followed soon after. I flinched away from the sound, even if it wasn't real. My scream filled my head, and my breath caught in my throat as a sharp object inserted itself in my chest. The usual tug of my heart refused to appear; the creature didn't want out. _Kyuubi, help you horrid fox!_ I mentally yelled in my head.

Never had I wanted his assistance this much, and I waited for the insult, but nothing came. Actually, only silence roamed in my head- that, and my labored breathing. The realization struck me hard. Kyuubi wasn't replying, not this time because he refused to bother with the stupid and weak container, but because he was no longer there. I didn't feel his presence at all at that instant.

I was completely and utterly alone, I observed.

. . . .

Time passed, yet it never mattered to me anymore. I could no longer distinguish minutes from seconds or days from weeks. I didn't know how long I've been in the cell, in the dark, with only the nightmares to keep me company. I stared blankly at the wall, back to the door. I couldn't even accept that redheaded one-tailed container even had a remote friendship with me.

It was never friendship- or even acquaintanceship. I just wanted something to fill in the void that I never realized I had until the more vivid memories were brought to my attention. I didn't even see her anymore. Everyday, someone would walk through the cells and hand the prisoners food, but I refused to touch them. I _was_ going to _die_ , after all. My eyes memorized each line and crack in the bricks that formed the walls.

There was even a few loose bricks that lined the floor up with the wall. The person walked through again, stopping at my door. The open clicked to signal its opening. However, the normal scrap of the bowl didn't follow after, instead the person's eyes bore into my back. I blinked my eyes closed slowly, wishing the person, who happened to be Itachi, would lose interest.

That was not the reaction I got, so after awhile, I shifted my body so I faced him. "What do I give for an audience with the _great_ Uchiha," I stated sarcastically, voice flat and harsh from almost no recent use. I didn't have anything to lose, so therefore, it wasn't necessary for me behaving myself.

Itachi slid the bowl toward me, locking the door after he ventured through. There was a tiny door where they usually gave the prisoners their food, so it was strange for him to open the entire door. I tilted my head as the older teen's eyes swept over me. We both silently stared at each other. "I perceive that you have a question for me, _Itachi_. Care to indulge me in the secret, or care to leave?"

A slight flare of anger flowed through me, but it was squashed down from the sorrow and despair that was now ingrained in my mind. The Uchiha sat back on his haunches as his eyes observed me. I placed my hands behind my head, linking them in the process, gaze even and steady. His voice finally began as his mouth moved. "Tell me about Sasuke."

I was taken aback by that statement. It was peculiar to comment about him all of a sudden. "That -I will not tell you."

The dark eyes flashed in the stoic mask. "... I suggest you tell me."

"Or what?" A smirk pulled at my lips. _You can't take anymore away from me._

The teen seemed to be debating until his next statement nearly made me topple over backward. "There is that artist, Sai, isn't it?" I clenched my fists at my side after a moment pause. He continued. "You know quite a lot about him, right _Kurama_?"

My face went blank, and I leaned forward. Face and body drifting close to the door. "Go to hell; you're never going to receive any information about either one of them." I watched the Uchiha stand up stiffly with an acidic look in his eyes. Without another word, he abandoned me in favor of whatever the Akatsuki did whenever they weren't babysitting the Tailed Beast containers.

I slowly retracted back into my slouched position, contemplating about the event that just happened. _Why would he want to know anything about Sai?_ I understood Sasuke, but _why Sai?_ I went to return to staring at the wall, but I paused, mind finally shoving past the terrible fears from the nightmares and the daydreams that always shifted to a pure horror.

Sai was going to be heading for a lot of trouble soon. I attempted to advise a way to escape. When my brain remained blank, I gritted my teeth in annoyance. _Come on, idiot think.. Worthless kid, think!_ I growled, probing my mind for a solution. As I raked my brain for a plan, my progress was immediately halted.

I inhaled deeply, stomach growling noisily, and my blue eyes locked on the bowl by the edge of the door.

* * *

 _ **(Next Time: Anko "shows up," actually shows up in Naruto's memories. In, Chapter 33, Naruto's quick attempt for escape, and back to Kakashi and the others for a bit. Chapter 34, demonstrations of Naruto's skills again! Humor- with a "drugged" up Naruto- in either chapter 35 or 36, most likely 35?)**_

Hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope you enjoy all your holidays for this month. Just tell me any of your criticisms, bad or good, doesn't matter; it'll help me in the long run.


	33. Chapter 32

**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**

 **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (FemGaaxNaru main)**

 **Chapter 32**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

I debated on eating it; there was no poison or any substance that would produce any damages to me, but I didn't need it. I lasted weeks without food since Kyuubi wouldn't allow me to scarf down anything until I got everything right. He forced me to train until I broke down. When I was younger, I was so naive; I had imagined Kyuubi as my best friend, someone who would have my back and care.

That was a complete lie and ingenuous thought of what would occur in the future. A memory morphed into my mind. It started with Kyuubi and I training. We were sparring, well he was beating me as I attempted to stand a chance against him. At that time, I didn't know he could determine what moves I would make, so I had a feeling I was strictly a liability.

My five year old self fell to the ground, and my body refused to move, so I stayed there. "Kyuubi, can we please rest?" I questioned in a slight whine. "And get some food?"

Kyuubi's intense glare had sent shivers down my spine at that moment in time. "Disgraceful kid, you can't even last three days without a break without falling apart." His hand smashed into my face, and I yelped. "You're worthless scum, kid, and you'll be that forever if you don't shape up." He raised his hand again, but I never saw it because it went black. Presently, I shook my head to clear it.

I needed to be able to think clearly, not have my brain in a scattered mess. Exhaling vehemently, a frown slipped onto my face, eyes studying the noodles by the door. I found myself unable to glance away, stomach rumbling almost instantly. I grabbed hold of it and ate it slowly while my head tilted and eyes shut closed. The taste was delicious, and I discovered all of my senses were focused on it.

Upon finishing the meal, I glanced down to where Gaara's cell should be, but she wasn't there. Well she was, but the cell was farther away - which means they moved me while I slept, and I didn't acknowledge that fact. A breath blew from my mouth; I could feel her emotions, a faint anger that sizzled along the surface. I turned my head away to face right, locating other cells.

There was five on my side, and I counted the other side. There was - indeed- ten cells to hold the nine soon-to-be captured Tailed Beasts, along with another empty prison. My eyes flickered down the line of cells on the other side, as a strange scent filled my nostrils. I didn't remember or recognize the being's scent. Even though Kyuubi was gone, I still preserved my heightened senses and emotion detection, not as great as before - even I'll admit.

However, still better than most people. I approached the door and slung my arms through the bars; there was a positive side to me being eleven. Pressing my body flush against the door, I crunched up my face along the bars to examine the length of the hallway to the door that offered imminent death or survival. _It wasn't too far. Hn.._

The smell from before tickled my nose, resulting in my sigh as I peered around the area again. My blue eyes landed on the cell across from mine. I watched in curiosity as pale golden eyes scrutinized me back. My heart constricted as I recognized the familiar edge of a Tailed Beast within the man, thus it was true. The Akatsuki were searching for all the containers, and the containers just happened to " _vanish_ " without anyone witnessing any commotion.

I nodded my head at the man before concentration slightly. My brain promptly veered off in another- an _unwanted_ \- direction. Red splattered along the tree beside me, and something smashed the back of my head. I stumbled forward, ragged breathing echoing, and I dove for the ground as something whizzed right where my head had been. An explosion erupted from the offending object, and I flew through the air.

I jumped up, and automatically, I screamed out, my leg creating a horrific snapping sound. I quivered, people were surrounding me, and I supported the top of my body by using my arms to sit up. Head whipping from side to side, I groaned as a voice struck home. "Why did I ever have to get stuck with _you_?" Kyuubi hissed from above me. I frowned, and the apology never reached my lips since hands yanked me up to my feet.

"Pathetic." A different voice sounded nearby. I was met face to face with none other than the other Uchiha's brother. The youngest Uchiha sported an annoyed look. "You just get in the way."

"No I don't!" My younger voice shouted, and the Uchiha grunted, dark eyes now accusing as his body grew to his current size.

"What are you hiding?" He asked suspiciously. I refused to respond, eyes sliding to the ground. Perhaps, I was hiding too much... My blue gaze cautiously went to his face, but instead of the youngest Uchiha's features, Sai's face replaced it. I ventured a step forward.

 _Sai_ , I mouthed when the rest of the Uchiha disappeared to only display Sai. A small tilt of the boy's mouth alerted me to his distress more than his emotions. "Something's wrong... Where did you go? You promised." My mouth grew dry, and I shook my head.

"I-" I cleared my throat, once, twice. "I'm keeping it."

"Then, why aren't you escaping?" That smacked me straight out of it, and I blinked. The apparition Sai had a point. I did promise that he'd be safe at the village, but soon he wouldn't be. Itachi had his sights on both Sai and Sasuke. I shoved my emotions down, like any other time, and concentrated on moving my tongue around. Something poked it, and I nearly smirked.

It was still there, and with a sharp jab, a tiny metallic object with slightly easy movement and willingness to bend to fit a lock slid forward. The golden eyes from the other cell watched the pin pop out of its hidden spot. A smirk tugged my lips, right hand removing the object from my mouth. I bent it, and I placed it in the lock. Jiggling it around for a bit, my ears twitched as footsteps came from the other side of the door from down the hall.

Quickly, I hid the object away in the side of my mouth, plopping myself down to come face to face with the wall once more. Doors opened and footsteps arrived at my cell. I looked over my shoulder at the immortal's surprised scoff. "What the hell? The fucking tiny bastard actually ate something."

I found myself maneuvering my body to lean up against the wall just as the silver-haired immortal retrieved my empty bowl and swapped it with a filled one. It was ramen again, and I knew that they understood that ramen was my favorite food- or at least someone knew. It was actually pretty intelligent to tease me with the best food until I cracked and inhaled the "unsuspecting" food.

It was obviously poisoned this time, probably paralyzing the flow of chakra, especially people with large reserves or with trapped power.

Blue eyes looked with purple, and a smirk graced my face. "Thanks immortal _turd_." I preferred to not use words that the man fancied. His vocabulary was atrocious and downright childish.

The man growled. "Shut up, you stupid bastard."

I tilted my head. "Seems logical, but no thanks." I stood up and stretched. "... You know, you have such a strange job." I shook my head, cutting a - no doubt- verbally abusive insult from the man by adding, "You kidnap kids - or ones that are younger than you, which happens to be almost everyone. Eh, immortal?"

The man glared and strolled closer to the door. "I wish I could so fucking beat your ass."

I utilized my Naruto persona by grinning and waggling my backside at him. "Come and get me. You're the sick one." A flash of anger basically blew me over; however, I merely smirked. "You have to be sick to purposely imprison children for your own usage."

I practically saw the steam rising off the man. His hands clenching at his sides, gaze perceiving and deadly. After a few moments, the immortal smirked. "Looks like you have your spirit back, kid, but I'm not falling for your tricks."

"What trick?" I turned my head down, placing on my most innocent face. "I was merely stating a fact, idiot."

The sour look that immediately replaced the smirk was priceless. In fact, I chuckled inwardly.

"Hidan-san~" I glanced to the only normal door at the end of the hall to locate the source of the high-pitched chime sounded from. I deemed the owner to be that Tobi guy with the orange mask. "Itachi-san wants yooouuuu." The normal giggled followed. "Said it was important~!"

Hidan gritted his teeth, stomping in the other direction. I finally chuckled softly at the scene. Well, that made my day.. week..? I have no idea how long time has passed, at least with the fox's presence I could distinguish the time, but now it was all mixed up. Seconds could have ended up to be minutes or even days, who knew. Before Tobi retreated -in a skip for some odd reason- behind the door, I questioned.

"How often do we eat a day?"

Tobi twirled around. On the outside, he seemed happy, carefree, and downright joyful, but his emotions felt off. They felt suppressed under the various forced excitement and giddiness. "Two times a day," his shrill voice commented. "Sometimes three times for a treat~"

I eyed him as he skipped over, making exaggerated hand motions. Eventually, I nodded, and I met the black hole in his mask, catching the slightest sliver of a dark eye underneath, a calculative and shielded eye. I looked at my feet, shifting uncomfortably. He was also hiding something, but before I could speak up, I heard Hidan's yell from behind the door.

"Itachi doesn't want me- you moron!"

Tobi scurried toward the door with false worry. "I-m-I'm sorry, Hidan-san. I thought-" The door closed after him, muffling the ending of the sentence.

Except, I picked up Hidan's shout of, "I'm going to fucking slaughter both of them -this idiot and that cocky bastard out there!"

A smirk formed on my features another time. It was fun to rile the organization members; it was entertaining and passed the time usually. I felt eyes on me, and I winked at the golden eyed man. Without a glimpse of the other's reaction, I laid back down. I effortlessly counted how many times they placed food in my cell, which I neglected to consume until now.

Eighteen bowls, so it must have been around nine days by now, and that was unacceptable. I should have been gone, along with Gaara and the other container. We should have been free, and I wasn't going to just wait to die, especially when others were in danger. I fluttered my eyes closed, and a flash of a white- actually it resembled a dark gray color at the moment- hallway spread before me.

My small feet walked in a rhythm as I journeyed down the hallway, each step light flooded into my vision until it was almost a pure white all around. I opened my eyes, finding myself strapped to a table, a bright light swinging from overhead. My cheek rested against the table. _Why was it so bright?_ I grunted, attempting to shield my eyes from the blinding light stinging my eyes.

Hot- unbearably hot - hands gripped each side of my face and forced me to stare into the swinging light. I screamed at the sheer brilliance, black spots combining with the white.

Eventually the darkness overtook the whiteness. I swallowed harshly, the ceiling of my cell flickered into view, only to disappear and be replaced by a dark alley. I slouched over, attempting to hide my face in my knees, but my back protested. It ached, and... well, my whole entire body did. Footsteps sounded close. While my head snapped up to locate the intruder, I clutched a kunai in my tiny balled fist.

I used the building behind me for support as I rose to my feet. My legs shook and gave way underneath me. Darkness invaded my vision, and I stubbornly forced it away. _Someone is coming closer_ , a voice reminded me, and I inclined my head in a desperate hope they would pass me by or run the opposite way. Just my luck, the steps paused right next to me.

I remained hunched over and frozen. I honestly didn't have enough strength to fight back again that night. "Hey kid, you alright?" A feminine voice reached my ears, and a hand brushed along my shoulder. Dark hair drew my gaze; it was either a dark violet color or a tinted blue hue. Then, my blue eyes drifted further down to land on light brown eyes.

The woman drew a finger along my forehead and brought it up to study it. Watching the woman put the bloody finger in her mouth, I crumbled to the ground, arms finally giving out. My tired gaze remained focused on her, a part of me suspicious, while the another part somewhat trusting.

"Definitely blood," the woman smirked, wrapping arms around me to pick me up. Setting me on my feet, a soft punch hit my shoulder, resulting in me stumbling and barely staying upright. "The name's Anko, remember me kid?" She nudged me after I silently stared. "Naruto Uzumaki, right?"

Something shot at her from behind, and I dove forward. My eyes flew open, pants exploding out of my mouth. I rolled onto my hands and knees as images and feelings passed across my vision. The woman's shout, my falling, and the woman's slight tinge of worry. She didn't know what she was getting into; I tried to warn her, but I found my voice had left me.

Darkness closed in, and a piece of paper skittered across, stopping before me. "Woman Missing: Mitarashi Anko Presumed Dead," the headline of the paper read, and I shook a lot. In the cell, I bit down on my bottom lip firmly. I continuously jerked my head side to side. _Stop, don't let them control you..._ The woman's head rolled softly along the floor and hit my arm. I frowned at it.

 _Hey, kid, nice job._ Her laugh echoed in my skull, but the image of her lifeless face burned in my mind. The head of Anko seemed so accusing, and the pale- bloodless lips moved faintly. "You caused my death," the mouth whispered out, and I jumped, back colliding with the cell door. I shook my head, repeating: _it's not real; it didn't happen. They never found the body. Calm down._ I exhaled roughly.

I held my breath in anticipation for another round of nightmares, but -fortunately - they stayed away for the moment. I rested the back of my head against the barred door with a groan, eyes shutting. A flash of yellow and white darted from the corner of my eye, and I rubbed my eyes as I glanced down at the clear water beneath me. I studied my familiar face until I saw red creeping up behind me.

I exhaled once real slow, shoving the images from sight once more. I wanted- _and_ needed- to focus on the objective at hand. It was essential that we all escaped in one piece. My brow furrowed in concentration, mind empty. I gripped my small blond strains in my hands while I grumbled softly. "That's just fan..." I sighed loudly. "...tastic." I just had to forget everything I learned.

Everything from the scrolls to the strategies during Kyuubi and my late night missions - or training for that matter. Technically, I did recollect everything, but it faded to the back of my mind; it seemed it was reliving the previous nightmares instead. _I am such a fool._ It all made sense now; I couldn't do anything right. I couldn't even devise an escape route.

 _What was I going to do?_ Running my fingertips along my face, a sigh blew from my parted lips in exasperation. It'll arrive in time.

 _No it won't, you ignorant child! You can't even save yourself, let alone the others. You know you won't accomplish this feat-_ ever! _The only reason you passed those missions- survived them even- was because of that_ fox _. That horrid fox that could always outsmart you in any fight. You're a real piece of work, a terrible container to_ "imprison" _a Tailed Beast. Might as well hand the world over with your abilities._

I flinched at how my tone sounded dreadfully similar to Kyuubi's. Wow, just wow, now I'm degrading myself when it's unnecessary and inappropriate. Somehow, something clicked in my head in that instant. I understood what was required of me, and with new found urgency, the puzzle pieces snapped together in an unique and complex pattern.

All I needed was three days- then we'd be done here.

* * *

 _ **(Next time: I can not give you too much information; however, you may glance back a chapter in order to refresh your memory. Just remember, Naruto's escape attempt NEXT time, and the story refers back toward the rest of team 7. Also, the "comedy" occurs in the 35th chapter, so onward.)**_

Reviews:

Kris Awesomeness: Thanks, I'm ecstatic that you're still into this story. I just hope you feel the same way about Kyuubi after the horrid treatment he gives to Naruto- in the flashbacks, I mean... Maybe...

the white wolf Haruka: From this chapter, it is stated that Naruto thinks that he was there for nine days, which he is correct. Then, plus the three days, it would be twelve in all. Once again, thank you for reading and reviewing, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

I'm grateful to everyone; I appreciate it.


	34. Chapter 33

_**(I don't own anything, but the plot.)**_

 _ **Summary: Naruto becomes stronger than he has ever thought possible, only because of the one choice he made when he was young: merging with the Kyuubi. One catch is one can't live without the other. One has to endure treacherous training, while the other one has to be allowed to leave its "home." You choose what pairings. (FemGaaxNaru main)**_

 **Chapter 33**

 ***Naruto POV***

 **. . .**

Three days passed- at least what I concluded to have passed- since there was six bowls of ramen placed inside my cell. I easily hid the contaminated food under the loose bricks by the one corner of my cell. No one bothered to notice, so I proceeded to do it. I frowned as I laid down. Today was the day we can all leave, obtaining freedom from our capture.

However, some of us might not be ever be the same, including- no _especially_ \- me. I attempted to swash down that thought, but it rose up anyway. With a shudder, I rolled over onto my shoulder, eyes flickering closed. _Soon,_ my mind whispered, _soon we'll see how "great" you are. What are you - Who are you- especially without the fox? Watashi no namae wa Uzumaki Naruto desu. Well, isn't my name Naruto? Not Kyuubi or anything remotely similar to that._

My name _is_ Uzumaki Naruto, and I always will be- with or without that creature. I sighed lightly at the mention of the Beast within me, and I hugged myself. Coldness seeping into my skin, I tried to push the memory of the fox away, but it was already too late. The truth stung as it repeated inside my head. Kyuubi was never coming back; he was long gone.

My heart felt as if it was ripped out by the same claw that used to tug it when I was younger, an irreplaceable part shattered and scattered along the Hidden Villages. I buried my face into the ground as a flash of red marked my vision. I giggled softly- high-pitched voice soft and light, scarfing down a bowl of ramen, barely chewing it before swallowing.

I finally received a break, and I mentally cheered. _Yes!_ I was allowed to consume food since I accomplished what was needed for the hour. Merrily, I chowed down, rather loudly and messily. A noodle hit me in the face as I slurped, and a tiny strained smile broke my face. As I continued, I neglected to realize someone directly next to me. I understood someone was there, but I doubt he'd do anything.

Unfortunately, I was dead wrong. In the next moment, my head was shoved forward, face engulfed by the noodles and hot broth, burning my face as I struggled against the hand. Eventually, the hand was removed, and my tiny hands rubbed my face as I sputtered. "Th-that hurt, Kyuubi," I whined. "Why did ya do that?"

The fox just stared. "You deserved much worse."

I frowned, only recently discovering crying just gave forth more pain. "You're a meanie." I jutted out my bottom lip, only to yelp when something connected with my jaw. Upon falling off the log, my blue eyes widened to an incredible amount when Kyuubi stalked closer.

"What did you say?" He hissed, and I immediately crawled in the other direction.

"I'm-I'm-" My voice caught, a blistering heat grabbed hold of my ankle and started to drag me back.

"You have no idea how nice I am to you, trash like you shouldn't exist." Kyuubi tugged me onto my back. Quivering, I nodded as he continued. "You should be thanking me for what I did for you."

I nodded vigorously. "H-Hai, y-yes sir." I heard a grunt, and then my side was splitting as I surged through the air to smash into the trunk of a tree. I gasped and pressed myself to the cold concrete floor of my cell. My right fingernails scrapped against the ground as the silence droned on around me. Footsteps echoed in my eardrums, and immediately, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep.

I was starting to realize that escape might just be impossible, and I discovered that I may actually finalize my fate here. I placed my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down by using my sharp canines. _Don't move_ , I coaxed myself. _Idiot, if you as much breathe wrong-_ My verbal abuse to myself ceased when the footfalls arrived closer to my cell.

"Is it almost fucking ready? I can't stand that little bastard."

"Hidan," a voice stated; _Kakuzu_ , my mind assisted me to connect who the voice belonged to. "It needs a few more parts. Then, it should be done, and he's the first one we'll test it on."

"Good! Can I kill that little bitch if he lives?"

"If he does..." A sigh escaped from someone. "Do as you wish, I don't particularly care."

I witnessed a loud sound, which resembled a bark of laughter- from Hidan, I presumed. I blocked out the rest of their conversation, faintly observing the soft clicks and scrapes as they traded my bowl with a filled one- since I decided to hide the uneaten ramen under the loose stone by the wall of my cell- until I caught the part about the others. "The others ones will be right after, and we only have six more to go- since you most likely don't know how to do math."

"Hey! You asshole I know how to subtract!" Hidan automatically defended himself.

"Unlikely..."

"I fucking know how-"

"If you have twenty-five ryo and you buy something that costs ten ryo, how much do you have afterward?"

There was a lengthy pause in the conversation. "It's, uh, oh fuck. I don't know shit about your ugly habit with that dirty ass money!"

No response followed his statement. As the silver-haired immortal's persistent screams and shouts drifted further away, I contemplated what Kakuzu had admitted, unknowingly uncovering the secret to me. The Tailed Beasts were still present, just hidden and trapped beneath the surface like I first surmised. I withdrew from the floor, and my blue eyes wavered at my palm.

 _Let's hope this works._ My eyes flickered around my unblemished skin, only deducing that the only thing available was the dirt and grime. I released a heavy sigh, unsure why I attempted to feel anything remotely close to Kyuubi's presence. I was about to sink back down to just sleep, but something halted my progress. A flash of red forced me to hesitate.

I glanced back at it, observing the tan arm when I "called" upon Kyuubi's chakra. Automatically, red chakra spiraled from my skin, skittering over my fingers in the way a chidori's sparks would flash along the user's arm and hand. The chakra was faint; however, it was there, and that gave me enough hope. Perhaps, I wouldn't be as useless as I thought. I slumped onto my back.

After the final round of the night, I'll make my escape, and it would allow me enough time to get everyone else, roughly fifteen minutes..? I wasn't a hundred percent certain since I couldn't distinguish time all that great now.

. . . .

With the door shutting behind the Akatsuki for the final time for the night, my eyes blinked open, and I abruptly traveled to the lock on my cell. Popping out the metallic pick in my mouth, I gently placed it in the lock afterward. After a few moments, the lock was released and I crept out of my cell. I debated on saving Gaara initially, but I thought I should rescue the other Tailed Beast container first.

Deciding- finally- to let out the stranger jinchuuriki, I cautiously gazed over my shoulder, head swirling back around to stare at the golden eyes. _Which one do you hold?_ I wondered, but it was definitely not the time to dwell on who it happened to be. I needed to reach Gaara, and so I did. I undid the lock, swiftly moving the door out of the way. I crouched beside Gaara, who refused to even glare at me now.

I frowned. Swishing the pain down, I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Gaara, we have to leave," I whispered softly, hand extended to aid her to her feet if she required the assistance. She merely rose to her feet and brushed past me. I couldn't help, but hang my head. An apology never fit when you nearly targeted her and allowed a part of yourself to injure your friend- _acquaintance_ , my voice bit out as a reminder.

Voices from the other side of the main door fluttered through, and all of us froze. _Oh, no._ I shook my head, grabbing both of my fellow jinchuurikis by the wrists and tugging them after me. I rushed to the other end of the hallway, which - just my luck- was a dead end. I exhaled after we hid behind the last cell since it had a small place between two walls.

My eyes narrowed at the wall, the feeling of the other's stares on my back, one was strong, the other one wavering. I watched my hand, awaiting for any sign of the fox's chakra. A weak glow illuminated, and before it disappeared altogether, I thrust out my palm. With an exaggerated crack, the wall split apart, not all the way unfortunately. I scowled at it, and drawing my arm back, I sensed the nearing Akatsuki members.

They had obviously heard the noise. _Hurry, idiot!_ My voice mentally howled in my head. _Strike again you fool!_ I cocked my fist back and going to slam it into the wall once more, but I stopped upon having a sense of someone falling behind me.

As is in slow motion, my head turned stiffly around, and before my brain caught up with my actions, I already had a hold on the person to stop them from collapsing onto the floor. My blue eyes darted over the pale face, and my jaw set itself. "Here, hold her." I sent an icy glare toward the other container as I cautiously forced the golden-eyed male to support Gaara's weight. "If she gets hurt, I swear," my vague warning paused in the realization that I was procrastinating, ending up leading us all more toward the inevitable capture- instead of our needed escape. I drew my hand back once more, sending it shooting in the air and colliding with the present crack. For a moment, the wall stood tall, barely damaged, and I stepped back a few steps.

I am getting out of this. Glancing to see my hand in the absence of the red chakra, I felt the dread begin to settle in. I couldn't do it on my own. I was certain... I bit my lip, abruptly throwing out those thoughts. _No._ With a few more steps away from the wall, I witnessed the Akatsuki members nearing our position, and I just looked away. I didn't need to focus on them.

I blew out a long breath, ignoring the ones running down the halls, past the cells, fabric rustling in their wake, and attempting to forget the two pairs of eyes located on me, standing off to my left, still hidden from the Akatsuki's view. I sprung off the balls of my feet, placing my shoulder in line with the crack. _I've got one shot; don't mess up!_

I advanced further, speed increasing with each step, and my shoulder caught dead center of the crack.

 _ **. . . .**_

 _ ***Kakashi POV***_

Time was coming up short. Something was up. I had assembled my three students- Sai, Sakura, and Sasuke- because I had the impression that Naruto, wherever he was, was in deep trouble. It may or may not have been from Iruka. He just created a strong sense of worry within me for my blond student. Even though upon my leave from the consultations to receive more information on Naruto, there might be a very flustered ex-chunin teacher, it was actually insightful.

I just made sure to embarrass the teacher before I left; it wasn't as if anyone said anything about it. I just couldn't handle all the negative ideas from the meetings with that man, since he rarely addressed Naruto's predicament outside of Anbu, and he merely told me vague answers about the incident that revolved around my student- and apparently Orochimaru.

It was amusing- a stress reliever more like it. Currently, my three teammates and I walked along the dirt road. I came to many conclusions as to where Naruto was being imprisoned, and I summed up a few distinct areas- four to be exact. Silence reigned on our small band of people with occasional speech between Sakura and Sai, who never ignored the girl.

Any other time I would point the fact that Sai, such a shy and silent boy, actually chose to talk with Sakura, creating a surely funny scene. At this moment, however, it was not the place to pester my students, well students and Sai. I haven't exactly trained Sai all that much that was Naruto's "job." He took it very seriously, almost resulting in a short chuckle to evade my mouth.

Managing to clasp back the laughter, I surveyed the area around us. It wasn't particularly the environment I'd see a secret organization with criminals to hang around in. Along the forest floor, off to the side of the path, bubs of vibrant orange struck my eye. It was an unique color to find, but it reminded me so much of Naruto. _What if we are too late in finding him? What if I just manage to get him killed?_ Images of my past team bombarded my brain, the blood dripping from my teammate's mouth, which was caused by the giant boulder, my other teammate with my arm buried deep in her chest, the news of my sensei's death. A poke to my bent arm snapped me back to reality, allowing me to catch my book before it looked suspicious.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you.. okay?" Sai questioned softly, a flash of something darting across his dark eyes.

I placed a hand on his head, after I put the book away. "I'm fine, Sai." Automatically, Sai's brows furrowed at the statement. I merely ruffled his short black strands. "Just thinking-"

"...About what?" Sai appeared somewhat suspicious, and I laughed a loud.

"I'm curious if Jiraiya had finished his newest book; I'm almost done with this one." With that, I patted my pocket, where my sacred book was located, with another hand. A small look breached the boy's features, but for some reason, something sparked alive in his eyes. In a way, the eyes lit up a bit.

Sai's eyes flickered toward Sakura, and upon receiving a puzzled look, he turned to the fork in the path. He breathed out, "... Naruto..."

Automatically, I tensed, as did my other male present student. I focused on the energy, attempting to locate what Sai had discovered. A flicker of familiar chakra caught my attention; it was far off- and faint- but nonetheless there. I caught Sasuke glaring at Sai, while Sakura moved to his side. "How far is he?" Apparently, she couldn't catch the same glimpse of the chakra, and she wasn't alone it seemed.

Sasuke let out a grunt, arms crossing over his chest. The chakra was no longer present, but I understood around where Naruto was, so with that, we sped off.

I was just hoping we wouldn't run straight into trouble, but it was doubtful, especially when my blond student was involved. Both Minato _and_ Naruto seemed to attract unwanted attention, or any attention for that matter.

 _ **. . . .**_

 _ ***Naruto POV***_

For a moment, I was weightless, until I smashed to the ground, along with the giant stones from the broken wall. Immediately, I stood up as I shoved off the rubble, and I turned to see the golden-eyed man with his arm around Gaara's waist. Despite the fact that I knew he was merely holding her steady on her feet, something within me tightened. I opted to forget about the feeling- whatever it was- because I sensed people not just in the building, but on the lawn before us.

I spread my legs, raising my arms- getting ready. It seemed our escape had even more barriers than I first realized. To my side, a flash of red brought my eyes to it, and a rare true smile- a small one- pushed onto my face. Green eyes met mine, and she inclined her head in a nod. She was ready, too.

Tearing my eyes from her, I faced the rest of the Akatsuki members. Two- I knew- where behind us, but the others blocked the dense forest, preventing our getaway and blocking our path. I glanced quickly down to my fingertips, the chakra still trapped beneath the surface. The thought sickened me.

 _I can't do it by myself, dang it! Just give up and go back into the cell, kid; you're just going to end up back- Enough, there's not just me in this position; I can't just abandon them because this plan will end in disaster. Well, maybe if you thought it out more... Too late now, so get over it, and deal with the consequences, let's go!_ Without a second thought, I shut off my mind's constant arguing back and forth, and I sprinted forward.

* * *

Watashi no namae wa Uzumaki Naruto desu- I am Uzumaki Naruto (something along the lines of that).

Hai- Yes

 _ **(Sorry for such a slow update, but I found this, so I decided to post it up. As for the reviews, thank you all, and for the other person with them, it isn't Killer B- think Saiken or Six Tails.)**_


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